Cuba Libre!

November 15, 2018
A history of the ragtag group of rebels who took down a powerful dictator.Smithsonian contributing writer Perrottet (The Sinner's Grand Tour: A Journey Through the Historical Underbelly of Europe, 2011, etc.) recounts the often madcap efforts of a small band of guerrilla soldiers to overthrow Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista. At the forefront of this entertaining tale are two handsome, idealistic men, the Cuban Fidel Castro and the Argentinian Ernesto "Che" Guevara, and one sophisticated, elegant young woman, Celia Sánchez, Castro's close friend and possible lover. The three, coming from respected, wealthy families, believed fervently in their mission to liberate the island from Batista's military rule. In 1956, Castro and about 60 supporters gathered in Mexico City to train for rebellion. "Like an urban fitness camp," writes the author, "they went on long walks up and down the tree-lined avenues," and some men hiked in nearby mountains "with backpacks filled with stones." They also devoted hours to studying "military theory." Despite their determination, their training proved inadequate once they landed in Cuba and established their base in the inhospitable Sierra Maestra range. None of the "soft urban intellectuals" who made up the troop had ever seen the Sierra Maestra before, and they were unprepared for the torrid days and freezing nights, the relentless insects, and the slick, overgrown trails. As they hacked through the countryside with machetes, "every step became a battle." Nor were they prepared to confront Batista's army: In one battle, the rebels' hand grenades--Brazilian army surplus--failed to go off, and a stick of dynamite fizzled. Perrottet smoothly follows the rebels as they gained hundreds of supporters and engaged in bold confrontations. Their successes were reported admiringly in the U.S., where articles portrayed Castro "as a cross between Pancho Villa and James Dean." Despite his image as "the Robin Hood of Cuba," however, Castro was a disorganized and moody leader; the guerrillas instead came to rely on Sánchez's clearsightedness and practicality. By January 1959, against all odds, the rebels swept into Havana, victorious.A vivid, well-researched history.

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Perrottet (Pagan Holiday) tackles Cuba's revolutionary era, from late 1956 through 1960. Starting with the Granma fiasco and the failed attack on the Moncada Barracks to the overthrows of the Batista regime, the author drops readers into the middle of a revolutionary movement unlike any other in history. He contends the leadership was naïve, inexperienced, and idealistic, yet, somehow this amateur band of revolutionaries succeeded. We follow Fidel and Raúl Castro and Che Guevara but also meet figures such as Camilo Cienfuegos, Celia Sánchez, and Haydée Santamaría. Indeed, the uprising may well have collapsed without the organizational abilities of Sanchez. Perrottet's access to written and oral records provides for a rare achievement in the corpus of Cuba's revolutionary literature, with the remarkable epilog recounting the postrevolutionary lives of the major players. VERDICT An excellent new entry on the subject, with a memorable opening line and highly enjoyable chapters. If you read only one recent book on Cuba, have it be this delightful popular history.--Boyd Childress, formerly with Auburn Univ. Libs., AL

February 18, 2019
Journalist Perrottet (Off the Deep End: Travels in Forgotten Frontiers) offers a fairly balanced, accessible history of the Cuban Revolution and how it was received in the late 1950s both at home and in the U.S. Before Cold War politics made Fidel Castro a bearded villain, he was America’s favorite revolutionary, having overthrown Cuba’s thuggish, corrupt president, Fulgencio Batista. Drawing on interviews with revolutionaries, accounts from historians from both countries, archival papers, and journalistic accounts, Perrottet traces the revolution’s arc from Castro’s student years to his 1959 interview on the Ed Sullivan Show (where the host fulsomely compared him to George Washington). Perrottet portrays with an unsparing eye the “wildly incompetent” early battles and campaigns in the Sierra Maestra mountains in the rugged backwater of Oriente Province, which nearly doomed the rebels. He avoids hagiography of the movement or Fidel, Raul Castro, and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, arguing that Castro was motivated by an appetite for power rather than by fealty to political ideology, and had many flaws as a “disorganized, capricious, and petulant” leader. The book, however, is far less insightful about Castro’s shift to megalomania after coming to power. But, despite some soft spots, this offers an entertaining and useful perspective on a remarkable political and military upset. Agent: Henry Dunow, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.

December 15, 2018
The Cuban Revolution profoundly influenced world history and politics from the middle of the twentieth century through today. As Perrottet documents it, Fidel Castro's rebellion succeeded mostly through a series of coincidences and sheer luck. His ragtag bunch of insurgents barely made the crossing in a leaky boat from Mexico to eastern Cuba. Their first beachheads were remarkably insecure, and lack of adequate supplies threatened malnutrition and disease. Support came from locals, but not all locals were wholly trustworthy. Castro's ultimate triumph owed plenty to the sheer incompetence of dictator Fulgencio Batista's army. But the rebels had a lot working in their favor, from shrewd use of the jungly terrain to a populace and international community eager to be rid of Batista's cruelties and corruption. Perrottet's history excels in putting a human face on the fighters. Fidel was at turns moody and petulant, and his brother Raul sometimes overreached. But the revolution's real stars were the smart and strong women who acted as spies, couriers, logistical experts, and ultimately as the bravest, fiercest, and most indispensable combatants.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)