Customer Reviews

Havana Then and Now (Then & Now)

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

 

 

I have a small booklet called "Remembering the Cuba we left" with color pictures of Cuba during the 1950s, it is old and I suppose long out of print, it does not contain that many pictures, but the pictures of Havana and the rest of the country are really good. Some were shot from the sky; others captured the life and people walking through the city, buildings, nightclubs, parks, monuments, countryside, etc. I have searched for more of these same pictures and others like them and have not been able to find them. They truly capture what Cuba was before the revolution. No other, not only Caribbean nation, but many Latin American nations didn't even come close. It was the 3rd best economy in the American continent after the U.S and Canada, and followed closely by Argentina. By 1958 Cuba was the most immigrated Latin American country, with the largest European emigration, and more Americans living in Cuba than Cubans in the U.S. Havana even had a China Town.

This book is bad and I will tell you why, I have knowledge of the subject, and I am not stupid. The idea of these series of books is a "Then and Now" of cities, but when it came to do Havana they had a problem. (Says on the back of the book) They went straight to a present day government controlled Havana library in search of info and pictures of the past, that's the problem. Pictures of a prosperous 1950s Havana with commerce, billboards, and the largest middle class in Latin America walking the streets, they probably burned them a long time ago, or Castro has them in his closet. The past of Cuba is something the present communist system is not too interested in showing. There is no free press; all books, newspapers, and media are controlled by the mafia like communists, everything is a manipulation and lie that everyone has to repeat or else you get kicked in jail (the least).

In this book all the pictures of the past are in black & white, and if this was not enough, about 98% of all the pictures of the past are from the mid 1800s to the 1920s, how clever are they. There is only one picture of 1958, about some Ferraris in the Havana Gran Prix, that's it. This way people don't see the pre-Castro days, and the modern day imposed poverty, decay, and ruins won't stand out as much. It will go against the millions Castro spends in promoting his "progressive" slavish system. It has worked in a way, every day I see more morons with Che Guevara shirts but none of them go to live in Cuba or any other communist country, after all. That's where all the bla bla bla is cut short. Anyhow, this is the story here, this book has no photographic value, it will not show you the height of the beauty it ones was, it will not transport you anywhere, nor make a true comparison. You can find better pictures on a web search than on this book, truly. There have been other Havana picture books that although photographed in the present still give you a better idea of what it once was. Robert Polidori: Havana could be one of them, who knows?

I agree one hundred percent with MamboCha's review. This book is another example of communist propaganda finesse.
The Cuba then, wasn't the Cuba I left in 1961, and the Cuba now does not portray the destruction and misery the Castro brothers and their puppety government have inflicted in what used to be the most prosperous, educated, and beautiful country in the Caribbean.
My advise to the reader: Please be very careful when choosing books about Cuba, especially those dealing with the history of that country. Shame, shame, shame.

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

PS: To view pictures of the Cuba that was, I recommend the book "Havana Before Castro"
by Peter Moruzzi.

Notice They Got Lillian Llanes a State worker(Los Gusanos Verdaero se quedado en Cuba)to compile this book,which is a shame seeing as Miami Then and Now is a Good Book,they could have done a better job with Havana then and now,you will notice even for a Picture Book the Propaganda was somehow slipped in! Things like "Inequality" and other Comrade Keywords that appeal to the elite few running the asylum while the groupies both on the island and off serve them,Pre-1959 Cuba Bad,Post-1959 Cuba good with Executions/Firing Squad and No Freedom,Interesting rosy picture for the useful few.

If you have an interest in the architecture of Havana and want a taste of what might welcome you if you visited there, this book is for you. Archival photos primarily from the early 1900s are matched with modern photos on the opposite page. It's nice to know there is a movement on now to save some of these historic gems and we get to see restorations. If you want to learn about politics, Cuban culture, or the countryside, you need to look elsewhere. This is about the history of the buildings, and by extension, the people who used them. The only improvement I would suggest would be to supply an approximate year with each of the old pictures.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING BOOK TO SAY THE LEAST. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER PICTURES OF THE PRE CASTRO TIMES AND THEY ARE BY FAR MUCH MORE ELGANT AND BOAST A MUCH MORE PROSPEROUS PRE CASTRO TIME. IT IS NOT FAIR TO USE SUCH ANTIQUATED PICTURES TO FURTHER USE WHAT THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT HAS GIVEN THEM TO COVER A SOCIAL AND POLITIAL DISASTER.
STILL, NO ONE SAID IT HAD TO BE THE YESTERDAY PICTURES FROM A SPECIFIC TIME SO ALL IN ALL IT IS AN INTERESTING BOOK AND I WOULD NOT CALL IT BAD BECAUSE EVEN DURING THE PERIOD IN WHICH THESE BEFORE PICTURES WERE TAKEN STILL SHOWS CUBAN ARCHITECTURE.

The book has awesome pictures. The book review tells the facts about the book. Although most pictures where from before my time, it was very interesting to see how the city has changed over the years.

It was wonderful to see Habana in the days of my grandparents and parents.I remember so much of my short [8yrs] in Habana.I left in 1960 and returned for a visit in 1991. It was great to see the comparisons of the pictures in the book so artfully done. Very much like the comparisons in my mind when I went back. The only thing missing was pictures of greater Habana.All the surounding suburbs also have their story.

This is my second purchase of this book to give as a gift, I wish it had more photos as this is one of the world's most interesting cities.

First class all around. Very pleased.

A brother in belief of ethical business practice for a better world.

shanti-b