Cuban Revolution Reader:
A Documentary History of Fidel Castro’s Revolution
Edited by Julio García Luis
2008, Ocean Press
392 pages
IT IS Washington’s “other” debt. According to Cuban courts, the US owes the island and its people a breathtaking $302 billion in reparations for the economic and moral damage caused by 50 years of hostility. Few if any US citizens will be aware that, between May 1999 and January 2000, Cubans in their thousands filed civil claims for damages caused by the embargo and acts of hostility and aggression since January 1, 1959. Predictably, counsel for the accused failed to appear at the hearings in Havana – but in the court of world opinion, they may already be in contempt. This oft-ignored dimension of Cuba’s revolutionary experience is among the fascinating insights into the last 50 years provided by the Cuban Revolution Reader, a valuable and well-structured resource that contains summaries and documents shedding light on 45 decisive moments over the last half century. García Luis has structured this volume in a highly accessible way, complete with chronology, that makes it a natural point of reference for anyone wishing to look back at contemporary Cuban history, from Fidel Castro’s first declaration after taking over the country in January 1959 to his announcement that he would not be seeking reelection as president in February 2008. – EC
