Havana: Autobiography of a City

"Ignore the confusing subtitle-no, Havana did not write about itself-and focus instead on the strengths of this narrative history from Havana-born author Estrada: depth of research, a lack of political rhetoric ('One of the inherent difficulties of writing about Havana is finding a middle ground between political extremes'), and a deep affection for his hometown. Estrada's pride is evident, as in his description of Havana's 1920s gambling heyday ('when Las Vegas was a filling station in the desert ... Havana was welcoming conventioneers'), and he manages to cover a huge number of Havana's seemingly innumerable facets: from cigars to Hemingway, slavery to Castro, the rhumba to baseball. Estrada is at his best chronicling Castro's revolution, a story which for many Americans is a virtual unknown; Estrada's retelling is brief, fair-minded and very well-written. Estrada pays particular attention to the Che Guevara 'hardly guessed at by those wearing Che tank tops,' revealing Guevara's authoritarian streak, his talent for guerilla warfare and his direct role in the executions of the day. There are faults: the book is overstuffed with information, especially in the chapter on Hemingway, and Estrada's personable, reminiscing style takes a back seat to a more conventional historian's voice after the first chapter. Quibbles aside, this book makes a fine primer on the United States' closest 'enemy,' told with the love of a native son." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)