Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington [Hardcover]

Ann Louise Bardach (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 6, 2009

From the award-winning reporter and go-to source on Cuban-Miami politics Ann Louise Bardach comes a riveting, eye-opening account of the last chapter in the life of Fidel Castro: his near death and marathon finale, his enemies and their fifty-year failed battle to eliminate him, and the carefully planned succession and early reign of his brother Raúl.

Ann Louise Bardach offers a spellbinding chronicle of the Havana-Washington political showdown, drawing on nearly two decades of reporting and countless interviews with everyone from the Comandante himself, his co-ruler and brother Raúl, and other family members, to ordinary Cubans as well as officials and politicos in Miami, Havana, and Washington. The result is an unforgettable dual portrait of Fidel and Raúl Castro -- arguably the most successful and enduring political brother team in history.

Since 1959, Fidel Castro has been the supreme leader of Cuba, deftly checkmating his foes, both from within and abroad; confronting eleven American presidents; and outfoxing dozens of assassination attempts, vanquished only by collapsing health.

As night descends on Castro's extraordinary fifty-year reign, Miami, Havana, and Washington are abuzz with anxious questions: What led to the lightning-bolt purge of key Cuban officials in March 2009? Who will be Raúl's heir? Will the U.S. embargo end now?

Bardach offers profound and surprising answers to these questions as she meticulously chronicles Castro's protracted farewell and assesses his transformative impact on the world stage and the complex legacy that will long outlive him. She reports from three distinct vantage points: In Miami, where more than one million Cubans have fled, she interviews scores of exiles including Castro's would-be assassins Orlando Bosch and Luis Posada Carriles; in Washington, DC, she reports on the Obama administration's struggle to formulate a post-Castro strategy; in Havanah she permeates the bubble around the fiercely private and officially retired Castro to ascertain the extent of his undisclosed medical condition.

Bardach delivers a compelling meditation on one of the most controversial, combative, and charismatic rulers in history. Without Fidel includes never-before-published reporting on Castro, his family, and his half-century grip on the largest country in the Caribbean while assessing how his departure will forever transform politics and policy in the Western Hemisphere -- and the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Cuban leader Fidel Castro's phoenix-like return from a near death experience in 2006 is a fitting introduction to this exhaustively researched account of one of the world's last communist leaders. Castro's quixotic quest to outlive most of his comrades provides fresh fodder for the "Castro obit industry," and investigative reporter Bardach (Cuba Confidential) obliges with graphic accounts of Castro's numerous health issues. She also reveals many previously unknown family stories, from the illegitimate offspring who've fled Castro's repressive rule, to his relationship with his younger brother and successor Raúl (a "more mindful and empathetic" man). As titillating as these personal details are, Bardach doesn't skimp on the politics or the day-to-day obstacles of Cuban civilians living in grinding poverty. Bardach opens the window wide on the "diplomatic train wreck" that is U.S.-Cuban relations, including Miami's exile community, anti-Castro Beltway establishment members, and the history of U.S. attempts to remove Castro from power. Bardach also exposes hypocrisy in the American anti-terrorism campaign, which seem to give a pass to anyone actively plotting against Castro. Bardach's unmatched access to Castro and other major players makes this a thorough account of a long-lived world figure who, admired or reviled, is an undoubtedly fascinating subject.

About the Author

Ann Louise Bardach is a PEN award-winning investigative journalist who has covered Cuba for fifteen years for the New York Times, Vanity Fair,  and many other national publications. She is the author Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana and is the editor of The Prison Letters of Fidel Castro and Cuba: A Travelers Literary Companion. She teaches International Journalism at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1St Edition edition (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416551506
• ISBN-13: 978-1416551508
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #262,651 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #61 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Canadian

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars insider guide to who's who ,what's what and everything u ever wanted to know, November 8, 2009

By 

Josefina Suarez "Josefina" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington (Hardcover)

about cuba . The latest from the hot shot NYT Vanity Fair investigative journalsit ALB . No one knows Cuba like Bardach .If you want to sound like ur in the know when it comes to things cuba get the low down from the ultra insider ALB .and if u still have not read her Cuba Confidential get it as the companion . I had been waiting for the follow up for years and now that it is here well i got through it in 2 nights and wanting more . really makes u get to cuba before the hordes,

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Information, unbiased account, November 15, 2009

By 

S. Reed (Los Angeles, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington (Hardcover)

Ms. Bardach's knowledge of Cuba and Fidel is unsurpassed. She presents a reporter's view: unbiased and crisp information exposing a failed system run by a prideful dictator who refuses to let go. She makes the point that all of the players are getting too old for this, it is time to move on. Everyone should read this book, particularly younger generations of Cubans on both sides of the water that want to connect with lost family, culture and history.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read It, November 20, 2009

By 

Robert Burgos - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Without Fidel: A Death Foretold in Miami, Havana and Washington (Hardcover)

I would like to be the first to contribute to the C.S. Hirsch Fund for Mr. J. Lopez' lobotomy. Having read and enjoyed her earlier book - Cuba Confidential - I am not surprised that Ann Loiuse Bardach's - Without Fidel - is not only a refreshing, unbiased look at one of the world's most intriguing political figures, and a compelling story of a beleaguered country confronting it's future without him, it is also a thoroughly enjoyable read, written with style and wit. I highly recommend it.