Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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].

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.

Catherine Moses has written a very readable synopsis of her experiences in Cuba and her impressions of Cuban life based on the people she met. The chapter divisons on health care, migrations, news and information, education, etc. are helpfully organized. I found the chapters on religions and the Cuban spirit particularly interesting.

Having lived in East Berlin before the wall came down, it was easy for me to note parallels between the totalitarian societies. No where does she claim to be an expert, and I know I certainly wasn't. So I would have liked to have read more about her own personal experiences, seeing Cuba through her eyes, as it were. Of course that would have been subjective, incomplete, and unscientific, but ever so fascinating in the glimpses and questions raised.

I'm looking forward to her next book!

When I started reading this book, I could not put it down. This book is the most practical that I have read on understanding Cuba today. I am a graduate student planning to travel to Cuba this summer for research and every question and concern that came to my mind was answered in this book. It is very easy to read and I feel like I am well prepared for travel to Cuba. It is a must read for anyone planning to travel to Cuba. I will recommend it to anyone interested in the country. Great Book!

Written by Catherine Moses, who served for two years at the United States Interest Section in Havana in the mid-nineties, this book provides a close and realistic first-hand look at life in Cuba, including detailed descriptions of everyday life of average people during that period. Just under 200 pages, it's short, sweet, and to the point. It contains personal observations about the Cubans' daily struggle to survive, and portrays the hardships on the people, including a scarcity of food, clothing, medicines, and other basic needs. From the start of the book, Moses discusses the cult of personality toward the Castro brothers and the fear for the police state responsible for the harshest and most oppressive justice system in the Americas. The total control of the state over the economy is discussed and the employment of over-regulated underpaid professionals, prostitution, and the start up of the small paladar restaurants are covered. Moses shows the failure of Cuba's political-economic system and discusses reasons why the Castro brothers are still in power. The author's warm hearted powers of observation and her compassionate concern for Cubans on a human level are admirable. As a matter of fact, this book by Moses is recommended in my own book about Memories from the Land of the Intolerant Tyrant (available from Blue Note Books) as one of the best describing life in Cuba.

Some of the other reviewers for this book have forgotten that no book exists independently of its author's experience. Unless one has preconceived notions about how life in Cuba "should be" rather than how it is, the mere fact that Ms. Moses lived in Cuba as a U.S. government employee is neither to her credit nor her discredit. Much more significant is the fact that Ms. Moses provides a perspective few Americans are able to have. It is ridiculously cynical (and even sensational) to suggest that Ms. Moses is simply spouting a "party line" - certainly she hoped for more cogent, astute readers. It is much more reasonable to assume that her book is a reflection of her honest experience, rather than an homage to her "bias."

It is worth noting that this book is a useful first glance, yet hardly sufficient pre-trip reading for anyone planning a trip to Cuba. As a university Spanish professor who leads student trips to Cuba on a fairly regular basis, I do recommend it to student participants as pre-trip reading, but balanced with some other types of analysis, such as Jane Franklin's "Cuba and the United States: A Chronological History," which is decidedly more "pro-Cuban" (sold freely in Cuba, incidentally).

Only by taking a balanced approach to Cuban issues can anyone hope to unravel the intricacies of Cuban society and U.S.-Cuban relations. Does any one book give a complete and accurate picture? Of course not. Does Moses' book capture the honest experience of an American living in Havana at an interesting time in history? Most definitely.

A really great book with lots of insight into the day-to-day going ons of REAL Cuban people. Moses does an excellent job of incorporating the social, cultural, and political feelings of Cuba into the mix.

Dry and poorly organized, this book is little more than a series of disjointed ramblings loosely divided into chapters. Ms. Moses apparently wrote down her remembrances as they randomly popped into her head, but she never went back and edited them to put them into any semblance of order. Back and forth she goes, in one sentence telling how the Cubans are oppressed, in the next telling how they are resourceful and able to make do with the very little they have, how they see no hope, then that they see the light at the end of the tunnel. What she relates is so generalized that one could easily substitute the name of any oppressed group of people for "Cuba" and be telling their story with equal (in)articulation.

Especially irritating is the fact that she mentions numerous individuals, and whether a revered patriot or her kindly next-door neighbor, she describes each in terms as mundane and pointless as skin tone and intelligence level, attributes some blasé word or phrase to him or her meant to be clever or all-knowing, then rarely mentions that person again. Worse, her final statement about that person is often something to the effect of, "I'm not sure whatever became of him."

Referring again to the book's generalities, most readers will already know that the Cubans are an oppressed people; that they live in a police state that (like every police state) follows their every move and metes out punishment to those who do not toe the line; that they (like all oppressed peoples) are conflicted by a love for their homeland and the idea of chucking it all for another place and a better existence. Again, in my estimation these are commonsensical, everyday notions. It is not necessary to have lived in Cuba to understand them. And although there has to be a wealth of knowledge available from someone who has lived there, it is to be found in some other book. This one does nothing to impart the Cubans' unique plight, and after reading it, the reader will know little more about Cuba than he or she probably already does.

I appreciate the reviewers who understand the book for what it is - not a political piece but a piece from the heart. The snobbery displayed by some of the reviewers just serves to further show the naivete of most Americans with regards to Cuba, or other foreign cultures, for that matter. If you are Cuban, or of Cuban decent, as I am, the accounts in this book are glimpses into the lives of the friends and relatives you left behind or perhaps have only met through stories. The accounts are glimpses into the suffering that you or your parents encountered first hand. If you are not Cuban, the book is a real look at the suffering and joys of a people who are merely 90 miles away. Read it - if nothing else, to learn something about someone else.

Yes, although she does not take a strong political stance, Moses speaks of the Revolution with a view that mirrors the U.S. view. Why wouldn't she? The U.S. view is that the Revolution has been bad for Cuba and the Cubans - and it has been. You don't have to be a State Department employee to have that opinion - you simply have to experience it's effects first-hand - as she did.

Incidentally, to imply, as one reviewer did, that Cuba's economy should be likened to that of other Latin American countries rather than to that of the U.S. is ludicrous. The economy and life-style of pre-revoluntionary Cuba was much more similar to that of the the U.S. than to that of any Latin American country, and therefore, it stands to reason that we should continue to compare it that way. If we have two apples and one becomes rotten, so that it's peel is brown and it has shruken to the size of a kiwi, we continue to compare it to the edible apple, we do not suddenly begin to compare it to kiwi simply because it "looks like one."