Customer Reviews

Havana Before Castro: When Cuba was a Tropical Playground

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

My wife and I escaped Cuba during the early sixties. Almost certain that we might be returning within a month or two (50 years ago) we did not bring along photographs, memories, or keepsakes of any kind.
"Havana Before Castro" is the best collection of memorabilia ever to touch my hands.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. You've made my day!


Andrew J. Rodriguez
Award-winning author: "Adios, Havana," a Memoir

Very informative with wonderful before and after photos, I am Cuban and remember some of the places in the photos. Would highly recommend it to my friends.

This is a wonderful book that describes Havana in the same way that my parents have always told me they remember. I lived in Cuba until the age of thirteen and in many parts of Havana i could see remains of what once was a grandiose city. This city is now converted into a total ruin. With regards to the writer "formoso" , he believes all the comunist propaganda written by the so called revolution. I imagine he believes that today's cuba is a paradise where everybody lives better.......how come all cubans want to leave that paradise?.........

With a profusion of exquisite illustrations, "Havana Before Castro" is also a suprisingly well-balanced, perceptively written historical work. While one good picture is certainly worth a thousand words,this book goes beyond the typical illustrated book genre to recapture also in text a Havana which vividly lives in the memory of those of us lucky enough to have experienced it first hand and, now, in the memory of those who read this book.

A good quick read with some flaws, usual ad-verbatim spewed before on how dishonest politicians were in Pre-Castro Cuba(Really? Are the politicians still not dishonest and Especially in America? Nay Around the World?),It mentions The Revolution briefly but even then the author has to admit that What was Cuba now was not Cuba before and the so-called Trade-offs if any Literacy for Campesinos O Guajiros better treatment for Blacks(We did not have Segregation in Cuba The United States did,Blacks had their own Private Clubs were Whites were not invited and vice-Versa,Yes Batista was not admitted to a Yacht Club? And what? it was a Private Club,There is only ONE HIGH RANKING CUBAN BLACK IN THE COMMUNISTY PARTY=Juan Almeida).He neglected to Mention The Partido Autenticos(despite the "Corruption") who kicked out the Reds out of the CTC(unions)and Created The National Bank(Carlos Prio-Socarras,Last Democratically ELECTED President Of Cuba before Batista Coup-No Mention of that just the emphasis on Batista),So of course the book is a trip down memory lane one that Leftist History Revisionists love to point to The "Indecency" of Pre-Castro Cuba,the Nightclubs,Cabarets, and Casinos.Sure,while we are at it let's point out Las Vegas and All Of the World's Seedy Underbellies,Corruption alone did not Merit what Cuba got in the end,She Deserves better and certainly the book despite it's emphasis on the Tourist attractions and the American Connection could have done better pointing out.

Color and vintage black and white photos abound in HAVANA BEFORE CASTRO: WHEN CUBA WAS A TROPICAL PLAYGROUND. It re-creates an era when the city was a popular destination for Americans between World War I and Castro's revolution, packing over 500 color and black and white images into a 'then and now' recreation contrasting past and present. Any library strong in Cuban history and culture must have this.

great, easy read yet interesting history of Havana. Wonderful photos and fun highlights of the who's who of that era. The author did a good job of combining the two to make for a brilliant fun read

I read it from cover to cover, every bit of text, and I loved it. I was stunned to learn about mid-century modernism trapped in the timewarp of Cuba. So many examples jump to mind and Moruzzi illustrates them all with an incredible collection of photographs and ephemera. I highly recommend this book to those who think they know all there is to know about America's post-war influence on architecture and design. For me, the book was a surprising learning experience.

The author's passion truly shines through in this book. And he doesn't cover just one or two aspects of Havana before Castro, but every facet that I think he could possibly fit in!

I simply love this book. Though I have to admit that I look through it and wonder to myself, "Where did American glamor go?" We used to be all about the little black dress and 3-piece suits, and now I can't get professionals that want to wear slacks to the office...

Oh well, FANTASTIC book! I'm donating a copy to my Lodge's cigar bar!

KUDOS to you, Mr. Moruzzi!!

As someone who was born in Cuba in early 1940s and lived under Castro until 1964 I'm thoroughly enjoying this book - learning things I either had forgotten or never knew - it's bringing back very fond memories of the Cuba I grew up in.