Our History Is Still Being Written: The Story of Three Chinese-Cuban Generals in the Cuban Revolution [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Armando Choy (Author), Gustavo Chui (Author), Moises Sio Wong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2006

A chapter in the chronicle of the Cuban Revolution, as told by those on the front lines of that ongoing epic.

Armando Choy, Gustavo Chui, and Moisés Sío Wong—three young rebels of Chinese-Cuban ancestry—threw themselves into the great proletarian battle that defined their generation. They became combatants in the clandestine struggle and 1956–58 revolutionary war that brought down a U.S.-backed dictatorship and opened the door to the socialist revolution in the Americas. Each became a general in Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces.

Here they talk about the historic place of Chinese immigration to Cuba, as well as more than five decades of revolutionary action and internationalism, from Cuba to Angola, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Through their stories the social and political forces that gave birth to the Cuban nation and still shape our epoch unfold. We see how millions of ordinary men and women like them changed the course of history, becoming different human beings in the process.

Also available in Spanish, Chinese

Editorial Reviews

Review

Their stories cover not only the excitement of fifty years ago, but also the years since up to the modern day from problems with food shortages to postmodern wars of ideas....told in interview/narrative format, directly from the mouths of the authors.... A highly personalized yet nonetheless valuable look at the evolution of modern Cuban history and politics." --Midwest Book Review, March 2006

...a must for anyone interested in the Cuba's history, national identity, ethnicity and politics; and for any library used by students of Cuban revolution." --University of Nottingham, Department of Hispanic and Latin American Studies

...a must for anyone interested in the Cuba's history, national identity, ethnicity and politics; and for any library used by students of Cuban revolution." --University of Nottingham, Department of Hispanic and Latin American Studies

...a must for anyone interested in the Cuba's history, national identity, ethnicity and politics; and for any library used by students of Cuban revolution." --University of Nottingham, Department of Hispanic and Latin American Studies

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Pathfinder Press (January 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873489780
• ISBN-13: 978-0873489782
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,203,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #34 in Books > History > Africa > Angola

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A highly personalized yet nonetheless valuable look at the evolution of modern Cuban history and politics, March 5, 2006

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our History Is Still Being Written: The Story of Three Chinese-Cuban Generals in the Cuban Revolution (Paperback)

The collaborative work of Armando Choy, Gustavo Chui and Moises Sio Wong, Our History Is Still Being Written: The Story Of Three Chinese-Cuban Generals In The Cuban Revolution is the personal testimony of three individuals of Chinese-Cuban ancestry who became involved in the 1956-58 revolutionary war that ended the America-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, with lasting repercussions for socialist revolution in Latin America. Their stories cover not only the excitement of fifty years ago, but also the years since up to the modern day from problems with food shortages to postmodern wars of ideas. An appendix includes two essays by Fidel Castro and one by Nelson Mandela. Most Of Our History Is Still Being Written is told in interview/narrative format, directly from the mouths of the authors; black-and-white photographs offer glimpses of key turning points in Cuban history. A highly personalized yet nonetheless valuable look at the evolution of modern Cuban history and politics.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A smorgasbord of insights on Cuba today, February 18, 2006

By 

Katherine L. (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Our History Is Still Being Written: The Story of Three Chinese-Cuban Generals in the Cuban Revolution (Paperback)

Full of unexpected and detailed stories about Cuba in the world today...Yugoslavia could have withstood NATO bombings in the 1990s if army officers had used underground tunnels and the system of reserves put in place during World War II to allow the population to sustain itself, one of the Chinese-Cuban generals interviewed in this book says. He explains that Cuba's defense relies on such a system of reserves (not only food but also pencils and paper to keep schools open!): to give the rest of the world time to come to Cuba's aid and organize solidarity in the event of a military attack. So he spearheaded a wildly successful program in Cuba to develop urban agriculture and increase domestic food production. A part of this effort: convincing Cubans to eat veggies...the generals went to Angola to help fight the South African invasion in the 80s, one lost a leg there; one went to Venezuela on the recommendation of the UN to help them develop a food production program like the Cubans'...they all talk about what it was like growing up Chinese under the Batista dictatorship...Who would have guessed that the number of Chinese who moved to Cuba in the mid1800s was roughly the same as the number who moved to the US? An easy read, and you just never know what the next chapter will talk about.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you are at all curious about Cuba, START WITH THIS BOOK, March 3, 2006

By 

Andrew Hunt (Reseda, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Our History Is Still Being Written: The Story of Three Chinese-Cuban Generals in the Cuban Revolution (Paperback)

If you are at all serious about fundamental social change in this century, READ THIS BOOK:

Although this book takes the form of interviews with three Cuban generals of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Chinese origins-- yes there are Chinese in Cuba, propotionately the immigration there was many times greater than to the U.S.; three are yes, generals in the armed forces and leaders of the revolution;no, not everyone of Chinese origins fled the Revolution-- the best part is that you get a wide ranging, broad-scope picture of the Cuban Revolution from the war against the Batista dictatorship through the "Bay of Pigs"/Playa Giron imperial invasion ( attempted, anyway) ; the October 1962 "missile" crisis; Cuba's role in defending Angola fron then-racist-apartheid South Africa, speeding the democratic revolution throughout southern Africa; the economic crisis of the early to mid 1990s; all the way to Cuba's solidarity aid to Venezuela in the teeth of the Empire's threats to both countries, and the current revolution-within-the-revolution known in Cuba as the Battle of Ideas. All this recounted by fighters who PARTICIPATED in these events ! The Cuban Revolution is not "holding out" or merely "surviving"; it is marching foward even if the future is one of struggle amid difficulties...the Cuban people, governemt and Revolution are WINNING. They are beating The Empire every day. Find out why-- read this book !