Speaking of Cuba…

Talking about Havana puts us in mind of a book that really takes a special moment to warrant its discussion. After all, it’s not everyone who’s going to care about Fidel Castro Reader (Ocean Press, edited by David Deutschmann and Deborah Shnookal), but if you’re one of those, you’ll care very much. It truly is an essential resource for those who like to fancy they know a lot about Cuba’s charismatic dictator and the world he created, or would like to.

On the very first page of Fidel Castro Reader, a Che Guevara quote from 1965 sums up the place in history where this book fits:

Fidel has his own special way of fusing himself with the people, [which] can be appreciated only by seeing him in action.

Action in this context includes over five decades of Castro’s speeches, beginning with “History Will Absolve Me” given in Santiago de Cuba in 1953 and concluding with “In Answer to the Empire: Letters to President George W. Bush” from 2004.

A photographic section adds texture and some context but, make no mistake: Fidel Castro’s own words take center stage here.