Conversations With Cuba [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by C. Peter Ripley (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Present-day Cuba continues to be a mystery to most Americans. The historical travel restrictions, though not as prohibitive as in earlier years, continue to limit the number of Americans who visit this island, Communist since the late 1950s. Ripley, a historian of the black experience in the United States, has written a personal and sensitive description of the Cuban people. Based on five trips he made between 1991 and 1997, his latest book examines Cuba's common citizens, whose lives are intimately connected to the Cuban revolution. Sympathetic to the revolution, Ripley paints a more positive picture of Cuba's recent history than does the mainstream press. Although not entirely objective, the text is well written and informative. Of interest to academic libraries with Latin American collections and public libraries with a Latino patron base.AMark L. Grover, Brigham Young Univ. Lib., Provo, UT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
In the 40 years since the Cuban Revolution, much has changed there. Ripley, through five visits in the 1990s, uncovers the attitudes of this contradictory island country. Despite most people's unwillingness to criticize the government, there are subtle expressions of dissatisfaction, mostly from the younger generation that does not remember the revolution itself. However, there are enough Cubans who, despite their sometimes squalid conditions, still utter "Vive la revolucion!" Indeed, during the course of the book, Ripley relates how dollars began to be accepted as well as pesos and even how U.S. customs doesn't go out of its way to prevent black-market cigars from entering the U.S. His romanticism of the revolution gets tested; the family he meets each visit is largely in Castro's corner, but many of the women would move to the U.S. if given a chance. Ripley's breezy writing style spotlights well these noble, fascinating people and their often complex story. Joe Collins

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 243 pages
• Publisher: University of Georgia Press; illustrated edition edition (November 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082032163X
• ISBN-13: 978-0820321639
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,122,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important and timely book, January 5, 2000

By	J. Burton Kirkwood (Evansville, IN) - See all my reviews

In a time when US activists will argue that a young boy should not be reunited with his Cuban father, C. Peter Ripley's Conversations with Cuba is an important book. In a distillation of his experiences gathered in multiple visits to Cuba in the 1990s, Ripley introduces the reader to the changes taking place in Cuba. Combining his skill as an astute observer and articulate writer, Ripley challenges the language and imagery long used in the west to isolate and create mistrust of Cuba and its revolution.

Conversations with Cuba makes plain that a diversity of opinion exists within Cuba about the revolution. Ripley discusses the dual problem Cuba faces as it transitions to a capitalist economy while continuing to care for its people as promised by the original revolutionary cadre of Fidel, Che, and others. Ripley learns that the struggle to achieve these potentially conflicting goals creates dissatisfaction for some, while for others an abiding faith in the revolution persists. Through the revolutionary affirming experience of his "fixer", Paulo, Ripley asks the reader to reconsider the long-held, rarely questioned stereotypes of Cuba. Just as Paulo reconsiders his views about the revolution, Ripley offers hope that the US can abandon the negative views of Cuba and consider the island and its people as they really exist.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, December 12, 1999

By	A reader from New Orleans (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews

I didn't know much about Castro's Cuba before picking up Ripley's book, and never thought I would have more than a casual interest in the subject. All that has changed since reading Conversations with Cuba. Ripley's vivid and moving portraiture of ordinary Cubans caught between their allegiances to the revolution and their hopes for future is absolutely compelling. His cinematic feel for the sun-splashed landscape and the paint-flaked cityscape is memorable. This is no Michelin guide to exotic lands and interesting places; it's a Badeker guide to the soul of modern Cuban. A wonderful book.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An enlightening book, May 15, 2000

By	Carlos Alvarez (USA) - See all my reviews

As a Cuban-American born in Cuba, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It is about time that books are coming out giving us a true picture of the Cuban condition instead of the stereotypical, cold war, CIA (of old, I hope) inspired version of the truth. Read this book and ask yourself why is there still an embargo on Cuba and how the US can claim the human rights' high ground when it is doing this to a country that poses no threat to the US or others. This book brings the embargo to the single human being level. An eye opener of a book.