Product Description

Intrigued by Cuba, Zoe Bran visits this country of contradictions and interweaving history and current events, personal and wider viewpoints, she paints a revealing picture of contemporary Cuba.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #276180 in Books
• Published on: 2002-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Customer Reviews

The Right Title
I found this book lived up to it's title. Ms. Bran certainly "endured" Cub. In a book that evokes Dickens, she finds a deep-seated malaise and sadness. It's overlong by about 25%, which led me to heave a sigh of relief when it ended. I found it interesting that she spent so little time on exploring the education system and music scene in Cuba, and so much on an exotic stew of emigres and castaways who added little value. Bottom line- It's not a good travel book,and it's certainly not a balanced examination of Cuban society.

The real thing
This is one of the very few really good books on Cuba available right now, mostly because it's much much, more than just a travel book. Unlike many so-called experiences of the island, Bran's book doesn't sentimentalise but gives the real experience of someone visiting Cuba with a clear, unbiased eye. There's history here and personal experience and a whole lot of great description of people and places. Bran's range of knowledge is considerable and I particularly liked her Graham Greene-style meetings with the foreign correspondent who got thrown out of the country because he upset Castro by constantly referring to his age! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to know more about Cuba and what's it's really like in the dying days of a communist state.

Objective, informative and EXCELLENT in all respects
I agree with ginnymurphy that this is one of the very best books about Cuba and how the state is now that I've ever read. There's no propaganda (at least, that I could discern) here. Zoe Bran uses her investigative skills (in figuring out & explaining the lack of toilet seats, for example) and also her intense yet sensitive journalistic skills in interviewing (in Spanish) so many average Cubans, as well as several diplomats and Cuban officials, to get an all-around perspective of the situation there. She's very good at what she does, and she also sounds like the kind of person I'd like to be with on a visit to Cuba, a place that fascinates us norteamericanos, whether we admit it or not.