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Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

An American History

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Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize)

By: Ada Ferrer, Ada Ferrer - introduction
Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
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About this listen

 WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY
WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE IN HISTORY

“Full of…lively insights and lucid prose” (The Wall Street Journal) an epic, sweeping history of Cuba and its complex ties to the United States—from before the arrival of Columbus to the present day—written by one of the world’s leading historians of Cuba.

In 1961, at the height of the Cold War, the United States severed diplomatic relations with Cuba, where a momentous revolution had taken power three years earlier. For more than half a century, the stand-off continued—through the tenure of ten American presidents and the fifty-year rule of Fidel Castro. His death in 2016, and the retirement of his brother and successor Raúl Castro in 2021, have spurred questions about the country’s future. Meanwhile, politics in Washington—Barack Obama’s opening to the island, Donald Trump’s reversal of that policy, and the election of Joe Biden—have made the relationship between the two nations a subject of debate once more.

Now, award-winning historian Ada Ferrer delivers an “important” (The Guardian) and moving chronicle that demands a new reckoning with both the island’s past and its relationship with the United States. Spanning more than five centuries, Cuba: An American History provides us with a front-row seat as we witness the evolution of the modern nation, with its dramatic record of conquest and colonization, of slavery and freedom, of independence and revolutions made and unmade.

Along the way, Ferrer explores the sometimes surprising, often troubled intimacy between the two countries, documenting not only the influence of the United States on Cuba but also the many ways the island has been a recurring presence in US affairs. This is a story that will give Americans unexpected insights into the history of their own nation and, in so doing, help them imagine a new relationship with Cuba; “readers will close [this] fascinating book with a sense of hope” (The Economist).

Filled with rousing stories and characters, and drawing on more than thirty years of research in Cuba, Spain, and the United States—as well as the author’s own extensive travel to the island over the same period—this is a stunning and monumental account like no other. Americas Caribbean & West Indies United States Latin American American History Socialism Caribbean Capitalism Soviet Union Social justice Self-Determination War of 1812 Imperialism

Critic reviews

"[Alma Cuervo]'s a highly empathetic interpreter of Ferrer's narrative. The story is fascinating, enlightening, and often deeply moving as Cuervo recounts Cuba's sorry history of racial division, enslavement, and exploitation — most vividly, the crushing labor of its sugar plantations."
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Simply riveting and so beautifully and naturally narrated – a pleasurable listening experience! Informative, well-balanced, thorough but never boring or dry.

Fantastic masterpiece

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I like the writing style. Detailed without being burdensome. The writer weaves between hard history and soft personal narratives that breathes life into the story. Very enjoyable.

Excellently written - captivating from start to finish

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This book should be essential reading in all US schools. However, if it is not already banned from US schools, as Howard Zinn’s, People History of the USA is, I believe it soon will be. This alone should be enough to recommend it, certainly more than I could. It is solidly researched, and expertly detailed in a way that strikes a good balance between dry facts and compelling story. The facts and figures are just that: evidence that itself paints the picture graphically. The personal anecdotes and opinion that appear, in the later sections that cover more contemporary events, in which the authors family’s history is remembered, and which, for obvious reasons start to shade that picture, are thankfully few. For the most part, though, it is refreshingly free from the seeping, establishment opinions that ooze from US and UK reporting on Cuba. The narration is excellent.

Essential reading

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Ada gracias por este libro que espero sea un puente de reunificación y entendimiento para los Cubanos de Cuba y los Cubanos en Estados Unidos, gracias por su investigación profunda y por contar la historia cómo es.

Gracias

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the way each stage was presented with particular view from black perspectives. Bringing the reader through the difficult decisions by different parties.

good layout of history

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