Cuba: An American History
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- Create Date：2022-05-10 10:19:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Ada Ferrer
- ISBN：1501154567
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Summary
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。
“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。
Reviews
Chris Jaffe
，
Fascinating book and I learned from pretty much every chapter; from learning how the British captured Havana in the Seven Years War （and traded it back for Florida at the peace table）， to how the Cubans view America's involvement in the war in 1898， to Cuba's role in Angola and why Castro wanted to do that。 Reading it was a bit disjointed for me， as I got i from the library， got halfway through， then had to return it as there was a hold out on it - and that person kept it for a month。 But the en Fascinating book and I learned from pretty much every chapter; from learning how the British captured Havana in the Seven Years War （and traded it back for Florida at the peace table）， to how the Cubans view America's involvement in the war in 1898， to Cuba's role in Angola and why Castro wanted to do that。 Reading it was a bit disjointed for me， as I got i from the library， got halfway through， then had to return it as there was a hold out on it - and that person kept it for a month。 But the entire thing was fascinatin。 。。。more
Mjmiyargmail。com
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As a child of Cuban parents that arrived in Cuba at 5 for eight years， I found this book riveting。
William Kyle Spratt
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Fantastic book， incredibly engrossing， one of my favorites I've read in many years， highly recommend Fantastic book， incredibly engrossing， one of my favorites I've read in many years， highly recommend 。。。more
Adam
，
In this incredibly accessible and eminently readable history， Ferrer takes us back to the earliest days of the Cuban colony， highlighting the progression of the people， the politics， and the place in history that Cuba rightfully maintains。 I learned so many specific facts， not only of the people， but also of the geopolitics that surrounded its founding， growth and evolution into the Cuba of today。 A really enjoyable read。4 stars。 I attended a Zoom discussion with Ferrer， in which she highlighted In this incredibly accessible and eminently readable history， Ferrer takes us back to the earliest days of the Cuban colony， highlighting the progression of the people， the politics， and the place in history that Cuba rightfully maintains。 I learned so many specific facts， not only of the people， but also of the geopolitics that surrounded its founding， growth and evolution into the Cuba of today。 A really enjoyable read。4 stars。 I attended a Zoom discussion with Ferrer， in which she highlighted the personal connection of this history， as well as the interconnection between the US and Cuba。 This lens allows the reader to more sensibly connect Cuba's historical narrative to its relationship with the US。 The Cuban story is impossible to tell without understanding the US connection。 Informative。 。。。more
Michael Canham
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Excellent history from Columbus to DJT， well worth reading for those interested in US history。
Susan
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Excellent！ This is one of the most interesting and well-written "history of a country" books that I have ever read！ Not only did I learn about Cuban history， but I learned a lot of American history in regard to Cuba that I was unfamiliar with。 Truly well done！ Thank you Ada Ferrer！ Excellent！ This is one of the most interesting and well-written "history of a country" books that I have ever read！ Not only did I learn about Cuban history， but I learned a lot of American history in regard to Cuba that I was unfamiliar with。 Truly well done！ Thank you Ada Ferrer！ 。。。more
Bob Margherito
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Extremely well written。 The book supplied a different look at the historical relationship between the US and Cuba。 The content flowed smoothly。 The research was impeccable and of course the value of the author's added Cuban family perspective made it hit home emotionally。 A great read！ Extremely well written。 The book supplied a different look at the historical relationship between the US and Cuba。 The content flowed smoothly。 The research was impeccable and of course the value of the author's added Cuban family perspective made it hit home emotionally。 A great read！ 。。。more
Arthur Ratliff
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The definitive history of Cuba。 Reads like a good novel。 After reading this I finally understood the long and troubled relationship between Cuba and the U。S。
John
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“My response to those who still try to justify Castro’s tyranny with the excuse that he has built schools and hospitals is this: Stalin， Hitler and Pinochet also built schools and hospitals， and like Castro， they also tortured and assassinated opponents。 They built concentration and extermination camps and eradicated all liberties， committing the worst crimes against humanity。” I begin this [fairly long， be warned] review of Ada Ferrer's history of Cuba with a quote from Armando Valladares， a Cu “My response to those who still try to justify Castro’s tyranny with the excuse that he has built schools and hospitals is this: Stalin， Hitler and Pinochet also built schools and hospitals， and like Castro， they also tortured and assassinated opponents。 They built concentration and extermination camps and eradicated all liberties， committing the worst crimes against humanity。” I begin this [fairly long， be warned] review of Ada Ferrer's history of Cuba with a quote from Armando Valladares， a Cuban-American poet who was arrested by Castro's regime in 1960 and only released 22 years later。 He was arrested for anti-Castro terrorism， a euphemism for being anti-communist。 I include it， because if you read Ada Ferrer's history of Cuba， you will not hear of Armando Valladares， nor of any of the other many thousands of Cuban political prisoners that were imprisoned， tortured， brutalized， and executed by Castro's regime， and this is the great failing of this history。 If you read Ada Ferrer's handling of Castro—as you might imagine a huge section of this book—you might end up thinking that Castro was a sort of Cuban George Washington， who replaced the brutal—and it was brutal—regime before him。 I remember reading Armando Valladares' excellent book "Against All Hope" in my twenties （some 40 years ago now） and closing the book at the end and thinking， Castro must be opposed in every way shape and form。 He is evil。 His regime is evil。Admittedly， Ada Ferrer records Castro's many failures， I mean， have you seen anyone jumping on a raft to get INTO Cuba during his reign？ I didn't think so。 His economy was propped up first by the Russians， and then by essentially subsidized Venezuelan oil。 It's all here in the inevitable laundry list of failed socialists states， the hunger， the failing economy， the lack of basic necessities， etc。， same thing that you read about every OTHER socialist state that fails。 Ada Ferrer lists it all， but in a sort of passing way without ever stopping to point out how great a failure Castro's Cuba was。 It's really kind of weird。 It's like she wrote it， but never stopped to ask herself the question， "was this a place anyone would want to live？"Her biggest failing by far in this book， is her willingly overlooking Castro's brutality and brutalization of any and all perceived "enemies" of the regime。 Not a peep about it。 Indeed， when Castro steps down as dictator （she never uses the word in reference to Castro）， his younger brother Raul "takes over。" No， Raul is not elected by the people， he is the next in line dictator， but you will not hear that from Ada Ferrer。 Same thing when the next dictator takes over for Raul。 Sure， there is a rubber stamp assembly， just like there was a Roman senate for all those years of Roman Caesars。 It's a huge failing and inexplicable， seeing as how Ada Ferrer was able to escape Cuba with her mother， leaving a couple of half-brothers behind。 She doesn't mention what happened to her half-brothers， and she never acknowledges the debt she owes to being able to escape Castro's regime to live （and be educated） in freedom。 。。。more
Nathan
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The book discusses the history of the island， particularly in relationship to its neighbor to the North， the United States。 Ferrer shines a light in the commonalities of the US and Cuba， and the myriad ways the United States had influenced， intruded， and nearly incorporated Cuba， and the counter influences Cuba has gives to the US。 In her telling， I feel like Cuba and the US are like estranged family members， or perhaps step-siblings， with the same American mother， but one with an English father The book discusses the history of the island， particularly in relationship to its neighbor to the North， the United States。 Ferrer shines a light in the commonalities of the US and Cuba， and the myriad ways the United States had influenced， intruded， and nearly incorporated Cuba， and the counter influences Cuba has gives to the US。 In her telling， I feel like Cuba and the US are like estranged family members， or perhaps step-siblings， with the same American mother， but one with an English father and the other with a Spanish Papa。 Definitely worth a read and full of insights and remembrances of things us Yankees have long forgotten about。 This book joins the recent historical works that focus on the role of Spain in aiding the American Revolution。 It reminds us that the Monroe Doctrine cuts two ways， since the US wanted the Europeans to stay out so they wouldn't get in the way。 And that the Cuban Revolution， like all revolutions， was a response to injustice， indifference and exploitation。Also， it is good to remember how much it can irk those other people born in this hemisphere when we refer to ourselves as the only "Americans"。 。。。more
Rajen Anderson
，
Great history spanning the roughly 500 years since Columbus’ voyage first encountered the island。 Professor Ferrer does a wonderful job of weaving in different aspects of that history， focusing at times on the “big players” but also weaving in short narratives to other individuals on the scene and her own family’s history in Cuba。 Growing up in Florida， Cuba and the rest of the Caribbean islands were always present in the people and culture， but I certainly never got the history as I got in this Great history spanning the roughly 500 years since Columbus’ voyage first encountered the island。 Professor Ferrer does a wonderful job of weaving in different aspects of that history， focusing at times on the “big players” but also weaving in short narratives to other individuals on the scene and her own family’s history in Cuba。 Growing up in Florida， Cuba and the rest of the Caribbean islands were always present in the people and culture， but I certainly never got the history as I got in this book。 One thing I especially liked is in how Professor Ferrer frames the overall narrative， starting with the title: The history of Cuba is interconnected with and part of the same historical forces as the US。 。。。more
Amy
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A stunning tour de force！ I absolutely loved the author’s lovely prose and learning so much more about Cuba’s history and its relations with the US。
Lorenzo Chavez
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This book by Ada Ferrer is an extortionary achievement and an absolute most read for anyone that wants to understand Cuba and its people。
George Fee
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Well researched and written with the passion of someone with personal connections to the island。 I found author Ada Ferrer's prose to be clear and her way of guiding the reader through several centuries of relations between Cuba and its neighbor to the north， informative and eye-opening without being overly dramatic or too dry。 Especially interesting to me were the early years of Cuban and American slavery as well as Fidel Castro's revolution and the suffering his nearly 60 years of dictatorial Well researched and written with the passion of someone with personal connections to the island。 I found author Ada Ferrer's prose to be clear and her way of guiding the reader through several centuries of relations between Cuba and its neighbor to the north， informative and eye-opening without being overly dramatic or too dry。 Especially interesting to me were the early years of Cuban and American slavery as well as Fidel Castro's revolution and the suffering his nearly 60 years of dictatorial rule brought upon the Cuban people。 Highs of the literacy campaign and universal education， lows of Angola and Soviet dependency。 Worth reading for those interested in a general history of the island， you will learn things。 。。。more
Carol Chapin
，
At several points in this book， the author points out how， in the United States， the word “America” is almost always used to refer to this country exclusively。 But Cuba and other nations are part of America， too。 This is a history of Cuba， from its settlement up until the election of Joe Biden。 Cuba’s history is interwoven with that of the US; the impact of the US and other world powers on the island has been huge。 Here are a few points that I would like to remember:Cuba’s history is that of sla At several points in this book， the author points out how， in the United States， the word “America” is almost always used to refer to this country exclusively。 But Cuba and other nations are part of America， too。 This is a history of Cuba， from its settlement up until the election of Joe Biden。 Cuba’s history is interwoven with that of the US; the impact of the US and other world powers on the island has been huge。 Here are a few points that I would like to remember:Cuba’s history is that of slavery as well; it has a significant Afro-Cuban population from those days。 At the time of the Civil War and emancipation， many southerners also owned sugar plantations in Cuba。 They attempted to avoid freeing their slaves by moving them to Cuba。 There were several attempted slave revolts over the years。 During the 1868 and 1895 revolts against Spanish rule， Afro-Cubans played a major role and held many leadership positions。 Afterwards， however， they were marginalized， and control of the country was in the hands of whites。 The USA claims to have “liberalized” Cuba in 1898 with the Spanish-American War。 By the time， however， Cubans had already mostly defeated the Spanish。 The US moved in and pushed out the Cubans， negotiating with the Spanish themselves。 Over the years， US landowners held significant percentages of the land in Cuba。 Batista had been part of armed forces rebelling against the government of Cuba。 At that time， Cuba adopted one of the most progressive constitutions in the world。 But it was not backed up by rule law。 When Batista became president in 1940， he became a dictator and facilitated the proliferation of US organized crime figures in the country。 He was deposed by Castro’s forces in 1958。Much of the US opposition to Castro was rooted in concerns over US financial interests。 When the Soviet empire fell apart in the late 1980’s， Cuba suffered economic hardship through loss of a favored trading partner。 Obama’s unfreezing of relations with Cuba was an economic boon。 This was somewhat reversed when Trump assumed office and reversed Obama’s legacy。 This book cover far more than this: it talks about the Bay of Pigs， the Cuban Missile Crisis， the Mariel boatlift， Guantanamo， and more。 It was a thorough overview of Cuba and its relationship with the US。 。。。more
Aleida Socarras
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A great resource for Cuban history and very inspirational。
Tim Austin
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I have， unfortunately， grown up with a narrow view of Cuba as an erstwhile enemy nation。 Having read this book I feel betrayed by my early education and admire the Cuban people who have battled for their identity and freedom for centuries。 Such a colorfully woven history takes the reader from the early days before European colonization to modern day and all of the twists， turns， happiness， and pains along the way。
MM Suarez
，
"A long ago historian of other revolutions once suggested that the intensity of a revolution could be calculated objectively， dispassionately; how， by counting the number of people who fled it， in Cuba a lot of people left。"No matter what I say about this book it will probably make somebody angry， specially those who don't like the "warts and all" approach to history or those who believe Cuban history began in 1959 with Castro's revolution and before then the Island was perfect and paradise on e "A long ago historian of other revolutions once suggested that the intensity of a revolution could be calculated objectively， dispassionately; how， by counting the number of people who fled it， in Cuba a lot of people left。"No matter what I say about this book it will probably make somebody angry， specially those who don't like the "warts and all" approach to history or those who believe Cuban history began in 1959 with Castro's revolution and before then the Island was perfect and paradise on earth。 The book is long but rich with very interesting little known historical information and I for one found it fascinating。 。。。more
Lara
，
Very detailed， easy to read and it draws up different perspectives of a country with a lot of history。 Very recommendable！
Wiliam Ohland
，
Well done！ As I was reading had to check if this was historical fiction … not。 Just well written。 I highly recommend。
Paul Anderson
，
A very in depth history of Cuba and its relationship with the U。S。 I learned a lot of new stuff。
Vincent DiGirolamo
，
Five hundred years of history never read so fast and furious。 The changes and continuities in Cuba's tragi-triumphant relationship with Spain， England， Russia， and especially the United States emerge quickly and sharply as in a kind of literary time-lapse photography。 Labor， politics， and religion are integrated seamlessly， and personified by a host of characters who have been too long in the shadows for those of us who claim to know "American" history。 Slaves， saints， rebels， planters， artists， Five hundred years of history never read so fast and furious。 The changes and continuities in Cuba's tragi-triumphant relationship with Spain， England， Russia， and especially the United States emerge quickly and sharply as in a kind of literary time-lapse photography。 Labor， politics， and religion are integrated seamlessly， and personified by a host of characters who have been too long in the shadows for those of us who claim to know "American" history。 Slaves， saints， rebels， planters， artists， poets， and dictators mingle and move like autonomous chess pieces engaged in a high-stakes game of survival， self-determination， and national sovereignty。 The sections on the 20th century are an ideological minefield for any historian seeking to do justice to Castro's audacious accomplishments and his repressive， even murderous， consolidation of power。 There are no doubt omissions。 （Where did the ragtag guerrilla leader get the tank he rode into Havana on in 1959？） Yet Ferrer is a reliable guide。 Her history of Cuba is inclusive， engaging， fair-minded， and well sourced。 A real page-turner that will inspire you to pick up more books on the subject and maybe even book a flight。 。。。more
Namal
，
This is a history in broadstrokes of Cuba over the last five centuries， with relation especially to the United States。 This history is leavened with the stories of prominent activists， intellectuals， politicians， laymen， and those native to the island whose names did not survive the historical record。 Before reading this book my exposure to Cuba was limited to the first half hour of Scarface， where the main character is introduced among the exodus of Cuban citizens leaving the port of Mariel for This is a history in broadstrokes of Cuba over the last five centuries， with relation especially to the United States。 This history is leavened with the stories of prominent activists， intellectuals， politicians， laymen， and those native to the island whose names did not survive the historical record。 Before reading this book my exposure to Cuba was limited to the first half hour of Scarface， where the main character is introduced among the exodus of Cuban citizens leaving the port of Mariel for the United States， fleeing a nation beleaguered by Fidel Castro's communist regime for greater economic opportunity and sanctuary。I learned a great deal about Cuba under Spanish rule， the Spanish American War and subsequent US policy with respect to Cuba， the origin stories of various dissidents and， of course， the leaders of the Revolution whom I knew only by name previously。 Key figures were portrayed with sympathy and understanding， and helped to contextualize historical events。The introduction led me to believe the author would include her own history and that of her relatives in Cuba， and I would have liked to learn more about how she was personally affected by Cuban and American history in her lifetime。 My personal preference notwithstanding， I enjoyed this book。 。。。more
Alex
，
The first half of the book was fascinating and would rate it higher。 The second half will be less remarkable for those that already know the general arc of Castro’s revolution。 I kept reading hoping that additional nuances would be revealed， but if there were any， they were too small and too far between。
Martijn Reintjes
，
To prepare for a trip to Cuba I decided to dive into the history a bit and this book really delivered。It's super interesting to learn about the history that shaped this unique country。But my biggest take away is （again） what a nasty business colonialism and slavery is。 To prepare for a trip to Cuba I decided to dive into the history a bit and this book really delivered。It's super interesting to learn about the history that shaped this unique country。But my biggest take away is （again） what a nasty business colonialism and slavery is。 。。。more
Shari
，
Fantastic and very worth while。 One of the best books I’ve read in a long time。 Highly recommended
Rick
，
4 stars for historic detail and reasonably interesting reading。 1 star for impartial professional observation。 The author has obviously developed her theory of Cuba’s history and come to the conclusion it’s history and current situation are all due to caucasians and the U。S。 in my opinion， the book is written with that bias in mind and with an objective of putting everything in that light。
Carumbau
，
Cuba's history comes alive in all its passion， violence， bloodshed， glories， revolts ， victories， setbacks， and great little details like what nicknames the people gave the rulers， and what social-commentary jokes went around at the time。 The prose is so dynamic it reads like a novel。 This is the way to write history！ Cuba's history comes alive in all its passion， violence， bloodshed， glories， revolts ， victories， setbacks， and great little details like what nicknames the people gave the rulers， and what social-commentary jokes went around at the time。 The prose is so dynamic it reads like a novel。 This is the way to write history！ 。。。more
Roger
，
One of the best history books I've read in a long time。 Loved how she personalized it with stories of individual people who linked the history of Cuba together。 Not so sure I agree with her that Cuba needed to be independent， which she subtly pushed throughout the book。 Only 90 miles from the US， it could clearly have become a thriving state in the US， saving the populace all the heartache of the last 75 years。 But she might have a point about racism because the same thing happened to Puerto Ric One of the best history books I've read in a long time。 Loved how she personalized it with stories of individual people who linked the history of Cuba together。 Not so sure I agree with her that Cuba needed to be independent， which she subtly pushed throughout the book。 Only 90 miles from the US， it could clearly have become a thriving state in the US， saving the populace all the heartache of the last 75 years。 But she might have a point about racism because the same thing happened to Puerto Rico， but the Cuban people are very resiliant so hopefully things will get better。 But for the most part， the author wrote without a slant until we got to the end of the book where her hero worship of Obama came out in spades。 That knocked it down to 4。5 stars for me， but still an excellent book。 。。。more
Steve
，