367 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates illustrations, map 24 cm
Type:
Books
Biographies
History
Place:
Cuba
Date:
2019
Revolution, 1959
Contents:
Prologue: Fidelmania -- Part One: The Cuban "madness". DIY revolution -- The curse of San Juan Hill -- Fulgencio versus Fidel -- The misfire heard around the world -- Island of lost souls -- Fellow travelers -- Waiting for Fidel -- The cruise of the granma -- "Now we've won the war" -- Part Two: The amateur guerrillas. The kindness of strangers -- First blood -- Back from the dead -- Havana vice -- "The bitter days" -- The revolution will be televised -- Baptisms of fire -- Scenes from the "free zone" -- Revolution on $300 a day -- Love in the time of diarrhea -- Part Three: Revolutionary road. Fiestas in wartime -- "The fuck-up" -- Sierra Shangri-la -- Operation "end of Fidel" -- Rā́l goes rogue -- The comeback -- Women in uniform -- Hurricane season -- Have gun, will travel: the Gringo Guerrillas -- The lightning campaign -- Part Four: Honeymoon with Che. Compañeros versus mafiosi -- In (Cuba) like Flynn -- The caravan of victory -- Days of rum and roses -- Epilogue: Last kids on the bloc
Summary:
"Perrottet chronicles the events of the Cuban Revolution and the figures at the center of the guerrilla uprising: Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and the scrappy band of rebel men and women who followed them. The general timeline of the Cuban Revolution of 1956-1958: It was led by two of the 20th century's most iconic figures, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara; it successfully overthrew the island nation's US-backed dictator; and it quickly went awry under Castro's rule. In this wildly entertaining and meticulously researched account, Tony Perrottet unravels the human drama behind history's most improbable revolution: a scruffy handful of self-taught revolutionaries--many of them kids just out of college, literature majors, art students and young lawyers, and including a number of women--defeated 40,000 professional soldiers to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Cuba Libre's deep dive into the revolution reveals fascinating details and is an entertaining look back at a liberation movement that captured the imagination of the world with its spectacular drama, foolhardy bravery, tragedy, and, sometimes, high comedy--and that set the stage for a buildup of Cold War tension that became a pivotal moment in history"-- Provided by publisher
