Synopses & Reviews
andldquo;A vivid, engaging exploration of Cuban politics, culture and economic life.andrdquo;andmdash;America
andldquo;Considerably deeper than much of the work on the subject. It takes on the challenge of describing whatandrsquo;s in a black box with energy and candor.andrdquo;andmdash;VisitCuba.com
and#160;
andldquo;The most informative, accurate, insightful, detailed account available on twenty-first century Cuba.andrdquo;andmdash;HavanaTimes.org
andldquo;Marc Frank is the best foreign journalist reporting from Cuba today. We now have a behind-the-scenes look at the changes large and small taking place as the Cuban revolution molts from Fidel to Raanduacute;l to the next generation.andrdquo;andmdash;Julia Sweig, author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know
andldquo;A must-read book to grasp what has been happening in Cuba over the past ten years.andrdquo;andmdash;Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba Project, Center for International Policy
andldquo;Frank enriches his fascinating reportage with his unparalleled access to expressive Cubans from all walks of life.andrdquo;andmdash;Richard Feinberg, University of California, San Diego
andldquo;With a sharp eye for human detail and a clear understanding of what makes Cuba tick, Frankandrsquo;s narrative bears eloquent, balanced, and always sensitive witness to the troubled trajectory of Cuba from the andlsquo;dark daysandrsquo; of the 1990s economic collapse through to the challenging changes under Raanduacute;l. It genuinely gets andlsquo;insideandrsquo; the otherwise confusing system and society, and is all the more welcome for that.andrdquo;--Antoni Kapcia, coeditor of The Changing Dynamic of Cuban Civil Society
andldquo;Gripping and insightful. It is rare indeed to find reporting as authoritative and well sourced as this about what remains an impenetrable and opaque regime.andrdquo;andmdash;Michael Reid, author of Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin Americaandrsquo;s Soul
and#160;
As a U.S.-born journalist who has called Havana home for almost a quarter century, Mark Frank has observed in person the best days of the revolution, the fall of the Soviet bloc, the great depression of the 1990s, the stepping aside of Fidel Castro, and the reforms now being devised by his brother. In Cuban Revelations, Frank offers a first-hand account of daily life in Cuba at the turn of the twenty-first century, the start of a new and dramatic epoch for islanders and the Cuban diaspora.
Examining the effects of U.S. policy toward Cuba, Frank analyzes why Cuba has entered an extraordinary, irreversible period of change and considers what the islandandrsquo;s future holds. The enormous social engineering project taking place today under Raanduacute;landrsquo;s leadership is fraught with many dangers, and Cuban Revelations follows the new leaderandrsquo;s efforts to overcome bureaucratic resistance and the fears of a populace that stand in his way.
In addition, Frank offers a colorful chronicle of his travels across the islandandrsquo;s many and varied provinces, sharing candid interviews with people from all walks of life. He takes the reader outside the capital to reveal how ordinary Cubans live and what they are thinking and feeling as fifty-year-old social and economic taboos are broken. He shares his honest and unbiased observations on extraordinary positive developments in social matters, like healthcare and education, as well as on the inefficiencies in the Cuban economy.
Ultimately, Cuban Revelations is an objective account by a reporter who has lived with the Cubans for many years as their old world falls apart and they set about trying to build a new one.
Review
andldquo;Excellent.andrdquo;andmdash;Tim Cole, British Ambassador to Cuba
Review
andldquo;Fascinating.andrdquo;andmdash;Katrina vanden Heuvel,
Washington PostReview
andldquo;A remarkably rich, gritty account of daily life today in the twilight of Caribbean socialism.andrdquo;andmdash;
Foreign AffairsReview
andldquo;A must-read. . . . Essential for a sharper grasp of Cuban-American relations and the role American politics plays in the sovereignty of this independent state.andrdquo;andmdash;
Library JournalReview
andldquo;An incisive, revealing portrait of a nation on the brink of transformation.andrdquo;andmdash;
BooklistReview
andldquo;Despite Cubaandrsquo;s controlled media environment, Frank managed to open doors to information not readily available to others, a testament to his intrepid reporting.andrdquo;andmdash;
Americas QuarterlyReview
andldquo;The most useful accounts, hands down, of contemporary Cuba.andrdquo;andmdash;
CubaNewsSynopsis
"Marc Frank is the best foreign journalist reporting from Cuba today. We now have a behind-the-scenes look at the changes large and small taking place as the Cuban revolution molts from Fidel to Ra l to the next generation."--Julia Sweig, author of
Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know "A must-read book to grasp what has been happening in Cuba over the past ten years."--Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba Project, Center for International Policy "Frank enriches his fascinating reportage with his unparalleled access to expressive Cubans from all walks of life."--Richard Feinberg, University of California, San Diego "With a sharp eye for human detail and a clear understanding of what makes Cuba tick, Frank's narrative bears eloquent, balanced, and always sensitive witness to the troubled trajectory of Cuba from the 'dark days' of the 1990s economic collapse through to the challenging changes under Ra l. It genuinely gets 'inside' the otherwise confusing system and society, and is all the more welcome for that."--Antoni Kapcia, coeditor of
The Changing Dynamic of Cuban Civil Society "Gripping and insightful. It is rare indeed to find reporting as authoritative and well sourced as this about what remains an impenetrable and opaque regime."--Michael Reid, author of
Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul As a U.S.-born journalist who has called Havana home for almost a quarter century, Mark Frank has observed in person the best days of the revolution, the fall of the Soviet bloc, the great depression of the 1990s, the stepping aside of Fidel Castro, and the reforms now being devised by his brother. In Cuban Revelations, Frank offers a first-hand account of daily life in Cuba at the turn of the twenty-first century, the start of a new and dramatic epoch for islanders and the Cuban diaspora.
Examining the effects of U.S. policy toward Cuba, Frank analyzes why Cuba has entered an extraordinary, irreversible period of change and considers what the island's future holds. The enormous social engineering project taking place today under Ra l's leadership is fraught with many dangers, and Cuban Revelations follows the new leader's efforts to overcome bureaucratic resistance and the fears of a populace that stand in his way.
In addition, Frank offers a colorful chronicle of his travels across the island's many and varied provinces, sharing candid interviews with people from all walks of life. He takes the reader outside the capital to reveal how ordinary Cubans live and what they are thinking and feeling as fifty-year-old social and economic taboos are broken. He shares his honest and unbiased observations on extraordinary positive developments in social matters, like healthcare and education, as well as on the inefficiencies in the Cuban economy.
Ultimately, Cuban Revelations is an objective account by a reporter who has lived with the Cubans for many years as their old world falls apart and they set about trying to build a new one.
Marc Frank is a U.S.-born journalist who has called Havana home for almost a quarter century. He has observed the best days of the revolution, the fall of the Soviet bloc, the great depression of the 1990s, the stepping aside of Fidel Castro, and the reforms now being devised by Raul.
Cuban Revelations offers a first-hand account of daily life in this fascinating culture.
Synopsis
"A vivid, engaging exploration of Cuban politics, culture and economic life."--America
"Considerably deeper than much of the work on the subject. It takes on the challenge of describing what's in a black box with energy and candor."--VisitCuba.com
"The most informative, accurate, insightful, detailed account available on twenty-first century Cuba."--HavanaTimes.org
"Marc Frank is the best foreign journalist reporting from Cuba today. We now have a behind-the-scenes look at the changes large and small taking place as the Cuban revolution molts from Fidel to Ra l to the next generation."--Julia Sweig, author of Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know
"A must-read book to grasp what has been happening in Cuba over the past ten years."--Wayne Smith, director of the Cuba Project, Center for International Policy
"Frank enriches his fascinating reportage with his unparalleled access to expressive Cubans from all walks of life."--Richard Feinberg, University of California, San Diego
"With a sharp eye for human detail and a clear understanding of what makes Cuba tick, Frank's narrative bears eloquent, balanced, and always sensitive witness to the troubled trajectory of Cuba from the 'dark days' of the 1990s economic collapse through to the challenging changes under Ra l. It genuinely gets 'inside' the otherwise confusing system and society, and is all the more welcome for that."--Antoni Kapcia, coeditor of The Changing Dynamic of Cuban Civil Society
"Gripping and insightful. It is rare indeed to find reporting as authoritative and well sourced as this about what remains an impenetrable and opaque regime."--Michael Reid, author of Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul
As a U.S.-born journalist who has called Havana home for almost a quarter century, Mark Frank has observed in person the best days of the revolution, the fall of the Soviet bloc, the great depression of the 1990s, the stepping aside of Fidel Castro, and the reforms now being devised by his brother. In Cuban Revelations, Frank offers a first-hand account of daily life in Cuba at the turn of the twenty-first century, the start of a new and dramatic epoch for islanders and the Cuban diaspora.
Examining the effects of U.S. policy toward Cuba, Frank analyzes why Cuba has entered an extraordinary, irreversible period of change and considers what the island's future holds. The enormous social engineering project taking place today under Ra l's leadership is fraught with many dangers, and Cuban Revelations follows the new leader's efforts to overcome bureaucratic resistance and the fears of a populace that stand in his way.
In addition, Frank offers a colorful chronicle of his travels across the island's many and varied provinces, sharing candid interviews with people from all walks of life. He takes the reader outside the capital to reveal how ordinary Cubans live and what they are thinking and feeling as fifty-year-old social and economic taboos are broken. He shares his honest and unbiased observations on extraordinary positive developments in social matters, like healthcare and education, as well as on the inefficiencies in the Cuban economy.
Ultimately, Cuban Revelations is an objective account by a reporter who has lived with the Cubans for many years as their old world falls apart and they set about trying to build a new one.
About the Author
and#160;
Marc Frank is a freelance journalist based in Cuba, who works for Thomson Reuters and the Financial Times, consults for ABC News, has contributed to the Economist and Argentinaandrsquo;s Clarandiacute;n, and is the author of Cuba Looks to the Year 2000.