21 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Spellbinding Revelation, November 1, 2009
This review is from: Fidel y Raul, mis hermanos. La historia secreta (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)
"In the end, in the eyes of God, all the glory and power in the world fit in a grain of rice. He is the one who judges, only Him." With these words, Juanita Castro Ruz concludes her captivating memoir.
This is the perfect ending for a book written by a deeply religious and family loving person, not by an unbiassed outsider who would use qualifiers such as merciless tyrants, murderers, thieves, megalomaniacs etc. to describe her brothers for what they really are. Juanita's lenient representation, in my opinion is understandable.
Readers expecting a Castro bashing book will be disappointed. In spite of acussing her brothers of betraying the revolution, and exposing some of Fidel's ruthlessness, Juanita refrains from using well deserved negative expressions to describe them.
But there are some topics missing in the book: The author doesn't mention that Fidel Castro is among the wealthiest heads of state second only to Queen Elizabeth II with a billion dollars in foreign investments. Communism at its best! (Forbes Magazine, 2003)
She doesn't reveal that his beloved brother Raul is addicted to alcohol and suffers from severe bouts of depression, for the man has a very low self esteem.
She doesn't mention that Raul as a "compassionate" six-year-old, along with his brother Fidel, loved to perform appendectomies in live ducklings by mercilesslly cutting them in half. (I own the video tape in which Raul laughs at his childhood adventures.)
As a Cuban exile that escaped to America in the early sixties and lived through the Castro brother's treachery, I strongly recommend an English translation for the benefit of those Americans who still believe in Santa Claus and think that what happened in Cuba cannot possible replicate in the Land of the Free.
Juanita's book made me feel like I was looking at the past through a forbidden keyhole. I've read its 425 pages in one day. I just couldn't put it away.
I also recommend this must-read to the many Hollywood useful idiots and T-shirts makers who have sanctified the iconoclastic figure of Che Guevara, for Juanita describes the atheist mass-murderer in vivid and honest detail.
I truly believe that Ms. Castro was, and still is a dedicated and sincere patriot. Fortunately, her memoir sees the light of day as timely as a sunrise.
Andrew J. Rodriguez
Award winning author: "Adios, Havana," a Memoir
IN SPANISH:
"Al final, en los ojos de Dios, toda la gloria y poder en el mundo caben en un grano de arroz. El es el que juzga. Solo El." Con estas palabras, Juanita Castro Ruz concluye su fascinante memoria.
Es el perfecto final para un libro escrito por una persona profundamente religiosa y amante de su familia, y no por un critico imparcial que utilizaria merecidos calificativos tales como tiranos despiadados, asesinos, ladrones, megalomaniacos etc. para describir a estos hermanos por lo que verdaderamente son. La representacion de Juanita es indulgente, lo que es facil de entender.
Aquellos lectores que esperan leer un libro llenos de insultos y nombretes seran defraudados, pues a pesar de acusar directamente a sus hermanos por traicionar la revolucion, Juanita se abstiene de usar insultos para describirlos.
Pero el libro no menciona ciertos topicos; por ejemplo: Fidel Castro es considerado uno de los gobernantes mas ricos del mundo despues de la reina Isabel, con inversiones en el extranjero de mas de un billon de dolares (Revista Forbes, 2003, USA.)
Tampoco dice que su querido hermano Raul es alcoholico y sufre de severas depresiones,
pues su amor propio deja mucho que desear.
La autora no relata que cuando Raul tenia seis anos de edad, en compania de su hermano Fidel les encantaba operar pequenos patitos de apendicitis, para lo cual les abrian el vientre en vida. (Yo tengo el video donde Raul cuenta las aventuras de su ninez)
Como cubano exilado que escapo del paraiso comunista en 1961, recomiendo que este libro sea traducido al ingles para demostrar a aquellos ciudadanos que aun creen en Santa Claus, que lo que paso en Cuba tambien puede ocurrir en Estados Unidos.
El libro de Juanita me hizo sentir como si estuviera mirando al pasado a traves del hueco prohibido de una cerradura. Me lei el libro de 425 paginas en un solo dia. Simplemente no podia dejarlo a un lado.
Recomiendo este libro tanto a los idiotas de Hollywood como a aquellos que usan camisetas con la figura impresa del Che Guevara y a los muchos ignorantes que han santificado la figura y memoria de este genocida, el cual Juanita describe honestamente y con lujo de detalles.
Creo sinceramente que la Sra. Castro fue, y sigue siendo una patriota cubana. Afortunadamente su libro ve la luz del dia como un acogido amanecer.
Andrew J. Rodriguez
Autor de: "Adios, Havana," a Memoir
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