The Cuba Project: Castro, Kennedy, and the FBI's Tamale Squad
just read this book by Peter Pavia, and I definitely recommend it.
the book is a bit of a contradiction. it is not in-depth, yet it manages to capture the early days of the Cuban revolution and US-Castro relations flawlessly. it is told in an irreverent, Generation-X style, and yet it is full of respect for the men who put their lives on the line for what they believed in. it somehow manages to capture the ad-hoc nature of Castro's victory in Cuba, yet it doesn't belittle the man's undeniable abilities.
i would not take this book as Cuban History 101, but it is an excellent taste of the flavor of that time, particularly from the Cuban-exile, FBI, CIA points of view.
anyway... this one is worth a read.
i did notice one factual error, and that is towards the end of the book. Pavia states that Ernesto "Che" Guevara's body lies lost somewhere in the Bolivian jungle, where he was killed by the Bolivian Army trained and assessed by US Special Forces.
in fact, Che was exhumed in July, 1997, and his remains were brought to Cuba that same year, where a memorial will house them in Santa Clara, site of the pivotal victory in the Cuban Revolution where troops led by Che essentially cut the country in half, leading to Batista's flight less than 12 hours later.
the book is a bit of a contradiction. it is not in-depth, yet it manages to capture the early days of the Cuban revolution and US-Castro relations flawlessly. it is told in an irreverent, Generation-X style, and yet it is full of respect for the men who put their lives on the line for what they believed in. it somehow manages to capture the ad-hoc nature of Castro's victory in Cuba, yet it doesn't belittle the man's undeniable abilities.
i would not take this book as Cuban History 101, but it is an excellent taste of the flavor of that time, particularly from the Cuban-exile, FBI, CIA points of view.
anyway... this one is worth a read.
i did notice one factual error, and that is towards the end of the book. Pavia states that Ernesto "Che" Guevara's body lies lost somewhere in the Bolivian jungle, where he was killed by the Bolivian Army trained and assessed by US Special Forces.
in fact, Che was exhumed in July, 1997, and his remains were brought to Cuba that same year, where a memorial will house them in Santa Clara, site of the pivotal victory in the Cuban Revolution where troops led by Che essentially cut the country in half, leading to Batista's flight less than 12 hours later.
posted by Yimboro | 7:13 PM
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