From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. William Morgan, an American who made his way to the front line of Castro's revolution in Cuba, gets thorough and entertaining treatment in this biography. Largely unknown in the U.S., his story is filled with the suspense of a blockbuster war movie, offering new and insightful perspective into the political climate of 1950s Cuba. From Morgan's Ohio beginnings, Shetterly quickly moves to his life in rebel camps in Cuba's mountains, which Shettterly describes exquisitely, and quite viscerally. Deftly weaving together a considerable amount of research to set the scene, he uses his findings to paint an intriguing and nuanced portrait of Morgan as well as the political tensions of the time. In fact, in addition to Morgan's story, there's a fascinating subplot about how Castro and the revolutionaries did not enter the revolution with a clear Communist platform, but slowly evolved that way from internal and external forces. Issues of nationalism and the role of journalism play a large role in the book, turning the intriguing story of one man into a thoughtful examination of 20th-century Cuban history. (Aug. 10)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Only two foreigners were elevated to the rank of commandante (equivalent to major) during the war to oust the Batista regime from Cuba. One was the Argentine Ernesto "Che" Guevara; the other was the American William Morgan. Guevara now, of course, has the status of a secular saint in Cuba and is still revered as a revolutionary icon four decades after his execution in Bolivia. Morgan, on the other hand, apparently became disillusioned as the Castro government embraced communism, and he was executed as an "agent of imperialism" in 1961. Shetterly tells both Morgan's story and the stories of many other brave individuals who fought Batista and then Castro as it became clear that his promises of freedom and democracy were a cruel hoax. Like Guevara, Morgan was a rather rootless adventurer. Although his political views were somewhat inchoate, he clearly was dedicated to the ideals of political democracy and individual freedom. His experiences and the experiences of others profiled here illustrate the broader tragedy of those who fought for a truly free Cuba and saw their hopes betrayed. Freeman, Jay
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"The Americano's strength lies in explaining how the three anti-Batista forces constantly jockeyed for supremacy and influence . . . . Shetterly nicely weaves FBI, CIA and State Department files on Morgan into his narrative."
—Washington Post Book World
From the Inside Flap
Why do I fight here in this land so foreign to my own? Why did I come here far from my home and family?
Is it because I seek adventure? No
I am here because I believe that the most important thing for free men to do is to protect the freedom of others.
WILLIAM MORGAN, in a letter to Herbert Matthews at the New York Times
When William Morgan was twenty-two years old, he was working as a high school janitor in Toledo Ohio. Seven years later, in 1958, he walked into a Rebel camp in the Cuban Jungle to join the revolutionaries in their fight to overthrow the corrupt Cuban president, Fulgencio Batista. They were wary of the broad-shouldered, blond-haired, blue-eyed americano but Morgan's dedication and passion, his military skill and charisma, led him to become a chief comandante in Castro's armyhe was the only foreigner to hold such a rank, with the exception of Che Guevera.
Vicious battles in the jungles were followed by victorious revelry in the cities. Morgan married a Cuban beauty. He single-handedly thwarted the Dominican Republic's attempt to overthrow Castro. And he was chosen to work with Castro and other high ranking Rebels to improve the quality of life for all people. This man who had lived under the radar in America was now a Cuban hero on the watch lists of several governments, all of whom wondered whose side he was really on.
It all ended in 1961, when, at age thirty-two, Morgan was executed by firing squad, at the hands of Fidel Castro.
Journalist Aran Shetterly takes us back to an era when democracy could have flourished in Cuba. He interviewed Morgan's friends and family and former Cuban Rebels, and examined FBI and CIA documents in search of the truth. What emerged was the true story of a young man who had never fit in but finally found his place in the world by fighting another country's war.
From the Back Cover
Why do I fight here in this land so foreign to my own? Why did I come here far from my home and family?…Is it because I seek adventure? No…I am here because I believe that the most important thing for free men to do is to protect the freedom of others.
—WILLIAM MORGAN, in a letter to Herbert Matthews at the New York Times
When William Morgan was twenty-two years old, he was working as a high school janitor in Toledo Ohio. Seven years later, in 1958, he walked into a Rebel camp in the Cuban Jungle to join the revolutionaries in their fight to overthrow the corrupt Cuban president, Fulgencio Batista. They were wary of the broad-shouldered, blond-haired, blue-eyed americano but Morgan's dedication and passion, his military skill and charisma, led him to become a chief comandante in Castro's army—he was the only foreigner to hold such a rank, with the exception of Che Guevera.
Vicious battles in the jungles were followed by victorious revelry in the cities. Morgan married a Cuban beauty. He single-handedly thwarted the Dominican Republic's attempt to overthrow Castro. And he was chosen to work with Castro and other high ranking Rebels to improve the quality of life for all people. This man who had lived under the radar in America was now a Cuban hero on the watch lists of several governments, all of whom wondered whose side he was really on.
It all ended in 1961, when, at age thirty-two, Morgan was executed by firing squad, at the hands of Fidel Castro.
Journalist Aran Shetterly takes us back to an era when democracy could have flourished in Cuba. He interviewed Morgan's friends and family and former Cuban Rebels, and examined FBI and CIA documents in search of the truth. What emerged was the true story of a young man who had never fit in but finally found his place in the world by fighting another country's war.
About the Author
Aran Shetterly attended Harvard College and the University of Southern Maine, where he completed a master's degree in American studies. He is on the board of the Americans Who Tell the Truth organization and the Union of Maine Visual Artists, for which he conceived, organized, and ran an exchange between artists from Maine and Cuba. He lives in Mexico, where he and his wife founded Inside Mexico, an English-language newspaper.
