Anthony DePalma

A fascinating exploration of the history of Cuba in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, as seen through the eyes of five families living in the rough-and-tumble Havana suburb of Guanabacoa. Anthony DePalma, a former foreign correspondent in Cuba, draws on his professional and personal connections to produce a piece of reportage that's full of human interest and sharply observed detail. You won't come away from this with a deeper understanding of the intricacies of Cuban internal politics or its place in broader geopolitics—and DePalma's failure to really grapple with the horrors of the Batista regime or the consequences of American imperialism is the biggest flaw with the book—but The Cubans will leave you with a much better sense of cubanidad.… (more)

This non fiction account of various families living in a Havana neighborhood from the years of the revolution to present time reads like a good novel. It is a fascinating, engrossing, in depth narrative. Having spent some time in Cuba, I felt that DePalma
captured the vibrancy, frustration, dashed feeling of possibilities, and character of some of the people I met there. My hope for this book is that it may help some people realize that our most recent treatment of Cuba has not affected the government there, but has had a significant impact on the lives of everyday people. I understand the hatred of Castro and the revolution among those who live here, but cannot understand how they can put embargos in place that hurt people…many of whom have no first hand memory of the revolution. The cruelty is unimaginable.… (more)