The surprising story of Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, and the scrappy
band of rebel men and women who followed them.
Most people are familiar with the basics of the Cuban Revolution of
1956-1959: it was led by two of the twentieth century's most charismatic
figures, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara; it successfully overthrew the
island nation's US-backed dictator; and it quickly went awry under
Fidel's rule.
But less is remembered about the amateur nature of the movement or the
lives of its players. In this wildly entertaining and meticulously
researched account, historian and journalist Tony Perrottet unravels the
human drama behind history's most improbable revolution: a scruffy
handful of self-taught revolutionaries--many of them kids just out of
college, literature majors, and art students, and including a number of
extraordinary women--who defeated 40,000 professional soldiers to
overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Cuba Libre!'s deep
dive into the revolution reveals fascinating details: How did Fidel's
highly organized lover Celia Sánchez whip the male guerrillas into
shape? Who were the two dozen American volunteers who joined the Cuban
rebels? How do you make land mines from condensed milk cans--or, for
that matter, cook chorizo à la guerrilla (sausage guerrilla-style)?
Cuba Libre! is an absorbing look back at a liberation movement that
captured the world's imagination with its spectacular drama, foolhardy
bravery, tragedy, and, sometimes, high comedy--and that set the stage
for Cold War tensions that pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war.
