A review by reflectiverambling_nalana
Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.25

What I was taught in school about Cuba to the best of my memory was something along the sum total lines of: communist island somewhere off Florida that once was used by Russia to almost launch nuclear weapons at us but crisis was adverted."And from the lingering media of the time that a lot of Cubans went to Florida. What I had collected about it from my own reading was as an extension of conditions in other parts of the Caribbean or in passing about the broader reaches of Central and South America. I was well aware that looking into this gap was long over due. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find such a concise, accessible, and engaging read. Ferrer clearly has a lot of passion for the past and is both proud and honest. She highlights heroes, villains, greed, and collective generosity. She doesn't shy from the atrocities or underplay the substantial gray areas, the messy sections of life and politics, and the importance of hindsight given to historians and future generations. 

More so than that, she was able to share down right impressive and inspiring facts that left me even more flabbergasted and frustrated that we hadn't learned more about this complex area. In particular how very connected very significant events and movements in the United States were effected or influenced by witnessing events in Cuba or the fears and speculation that drove us to trying to use this particular country as our own chess piece. 

Absolutely enlightening.