Real Life in Castro's Cuba (Latin American Silhouettes) [Paperback]

Catherine Moses (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0842028374 | ISBN-13: 978-0842028370

This new book provides a first-hand, grassroots look at life in Cuba, including very vivid descriptions of its people and places. Real Life in Castro's Cuba illuminates the human face of Cuba, which over the years has largely been hidden in the shadow of Fidel Castro.

Real Life in Castro's Cuba is written by Catherine Moses, who lived and worked in Cuba as a press secretary and spokesperson for the United States from 1995 to 1996. This compelling, compassionate portrait contains personal observations about the Cubans' struggles, triumphs, hopes, and daily compromises to survive. The Cuban population lives with a deteriorating infrastructure, forcing many hardships on the people, including a scarcity of food, fuel, clothing, medicines, and other basic needs.

The author's detailed cultural account of Cuba introduces the reader to everyday Cubans from party officials to dissidents to everyone in between. It shows how Cuba's socialist system works and gives reasons why Fidel Castro is still in power. Real Life in Castro's Cuba also describes the significant role of religion and spirituality in the life of Cubans. Although Moses expresses regret over the state of U.S.-Cuban relations, the purpose of the book is not to choose up sides. Instead, the book is designed simply to introduce readers to real life in Cuba.

The book's unique approach allows an intimate picture of life in a faded Marxist regime. As the author writes, "Cuba is a curious mixture of Spanish Caribbean, socialist ideals gone awry, memories of what was, and a desperate need to survive."

This fascinating new book will appeal to all readers who are interested in getting a closer look at what life is like in Cuba today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An excellent, detailed account of daily life in the deteriorating communist country. (Publishers Weekly )

Especially timely in light of the Elian Gonzales affair, a former U.S. spokesperson in Havana conveys her impression of the strong spirit of Cuban citizens given the contradictory realities of the Revolution. (Reference & Research Book News )

We readers are the beneficiaries of Moses's deep understanding of the Cuban people and the political, economic, and social transformation they are carrying out against the will of their government. (Richard A. Nuccio )

Catherine Moses clearly put her two years as 'Our Woman in Havana' to good use, developing a solid understanding of Cuba's faded dreams of a socialist utopia and gathering wonderfully human anecdotes about daily life. (Juan O. Tamayo )

A heartfelt account of the daunting trials that confront the Cuban people, written with passion and affection. (Ann Louise Bardach )

An unusually insightful, and brutally candid book. Moses offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at a turning point in the history of Cuba. Her intellectual honesty, her engaging humor, and her deep love for Cuba and the Cubans ooze from every page. It is a bittersweet account that captures graphically the haunting surrealism of the Cuban existence. (Franklin W. Knight )

Beautifully written, evocative and lyrical at the same time that it is chock full of information and local texture. (Stanley Fish )

About the Author

Catherine Moses is assistant professor of government and sociology at Georgia College and State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842028374
• ISBN-13: 978-0842028370
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,193,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well rounded look at Cuba, December 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Real Life in Castro's Cuba (Latin American Silhouettes) (Paperback)

All those whose interest in Cuba has been caught by the plight of little Elian Gonzales would do well to read Catherine Moses' evenhanded and compassionate take on Cuba. Ms. Moses, a diplomat assigned to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana for 20 months, writes with the painterly eye of a fiction writer yet also with the precision of a scholar, which she is. With no exploitative interests in Cuba, hers is a unique position from which to view this society. Her book is rich in details about the daily life and work of the people, the history of the revolution and the American relationship to Cuba in recent years. Those who need a refresher course on the Migration Accords or the Fifth Party Pelenum can learn the details here. What is most powerful about the book however, is not its delineation of politics and policy, but its deep appreciation of the spiritual vibrancy and love of life of the Cuban people. If you are interested in Cuba, I can't think of a better place to start.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ms Abbey's review misses the point, December 21, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Real Life in Castro's Cuba (Latin American Silhouettes) (Paperback)

Reading the long-time review-of-the-day by Ms. Abbey, I find myself wondering if she read the same book I did. In each instance, her criticism is diametrically opposed to my perception of the book's intent and content. I did not see Ms. Moses showing "naïve judgment of the successes of the revolution." Rather, I read a deeply personal description of "los Cubanos." This is not a political work. Ms. Moses has chosen to not condemn governments, but to depict with crystal clarity the day-to-day struggles faced by those who would continue to live in Cuba.

I certainly did not find her comparisons between life in Cuba and in the USA chauvinistic. Furthermore, I consider Ms. Abbey's suggestion of comparing Cuba to other Caribbean or Latin American countries intellectual snobbery. If one is trying to bring home to a lay readership the realities of Cuban life, one doesn't compare it to an equally foreign standard. For example, if I want to convey to American readers how much an item costs a German, I convert the price to US currency, not that of neighboring EU-mate Austria. This is not an example of American economic egocentrism. It is merely ensuring that the reader understands the writer. Ms. Moses compares Cuba to America because that is the standard Americans know.

Regarding the embargo, again I do not believe Ms. Moses discounted its impact. She did not blame the deprivation of Cubans on the embargo, but neither did she blame it on Cuban governmental mismanagement. She described conditions with a minimum of editorializing, either pro- or anti-Castro. (While I can only speculate, rather than a defense of US policy, I read opposition to the embargo "between the lines" of her writing.)

I was not surprised by her reaction to the Cuban government's treatment of gifts of books and printed materials from the US Interests Section. Once I recognized the obvious affection Ms. Moses holds for Cubans (which Ms. Abbey acknowledges), I saw hurt in her reaction to their rejection. Whether Ms. Moses is old enough to remember Red Scare days is not important since her reaction is not revulsion to a political ideology. It is the hurt felt by a friend when a gift is rejected. Yes, that may be a trifle naïve given her official position, but it is nonetheless admirable. Would that all US diplomats felt so toward their assigned countries.

Ms. Abbey's review seems to come from a belief that a book on Cuba that fails to condemn US policy thereby defends it. Wrong! Ms. Moses' descriptions of the Cuban people transcend policy and politics. This is as it should be since the subjects of her description have no opportunity to affect either. They are "los olvidados" [the Forgotten Ones] and Ms. Moses has spoken eloquently on their behalf.

What is this book NOT? It is not a travelogue, although the beauty of the island is described in detail. It is not a political screed against the Castro regime or US policy, although their grass-roots effects are the basis of the book. It is not a detailed analysis of the history of US-Cuban relations, even though the lingering connection between our two countries is described with sensitivity, almost suggesting a feeling of love lost. Finally, to use Ms. Abbey's phrase, It is certainly not a "myopic view of `the world according to Uncle Sam.'"

"Real Life in Castro's Cuba" is a well-written, deeply personal description of the Cuban people. I defy anyone to read Ms. Moses' account of meeting a Cuban army veteran wounded in the war in Angola and not be moved. The picture on the cover of the paperback edition captures the essence of the entire book. The children are next to a well-paved road, but three are sharing a horse with a blanket for a saddle and a rope for a bridle. The fourth girl is on a man's bike far too large for her, and they all lack shoes. Yet, they are smiling warmly. This book was definitely not written by a US State Department apologist, but by one who obviously has "el alma de una Cubana" [the soul of a Cuban].

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of Cuban sentiment and experience., March 3, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: Real Life in Castro's Cuba (Latin American Silhouettes) (Hardcover)

Catherine Moses's Real Life In Castro's Cuba provides an excellent overview of Cuban sentiment and daily experiences. First-person insights gather the realities of life and perceptions in Cuba adding a healthy dose of historical background and details on relationships between the two countries as perceived by the common man.