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This Is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives
 
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This Is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives [Hardcover]

Ben Corbett (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Library Journal

With its provocative subtitle, freelance journalist Corbett's new book on Cuba certainly is not sponsored by the Cuban department of tourism. Nor is it a treatise from the Miami exile community. Rather, it is an honest, behind-the-scenes look at everyday Cubans dealing with life and survival. They are pawns in the great chess game between two looming ideologies: the capitalist United States, which never recognized the legitimacy of the Cuban Revolution, and the Socialist government under Castro, which is determined to continue the struggle. These ordinary folk spend an inordinate amount of time trying to make ends meet and stretch their meager resources (and ration books) from month to month. Where contrary political expression is dangerous, they resist in subtler ways: buying or selling goods on the black market, making illegal money off the tourist trade, or even getting tattoos. More daring Cubans take to the seas. Yet perhaps Fidel's stubbornness and belief in Cubanidad ("Cubaness") has paid off in an unintentional way. "They are now prepared to defend Cuba's destiny," concludes Corbett of Cubans. "And in the preparedness, perhaps Castro achieved the greatest victory of all." Recommended for all large academic and public libraries.
Lee Arnold, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Let it be said immediately that "This Is Cuba is quite simply the best, the most complete, and most devastating portrait of that unfortunate country to be found in any language." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (11)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:
 (2)
2 star:
 (1)
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Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is Cuba, Nov 14 2002
By 
Ron Fletcher (Portland, Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This Is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives (Hardcover)
From the wealth of descriptive detail and the depth of his insights into Cuban life, it is obvious that Ben Corbett went far beyond the typical American journalist's two-week taxi tour of the island. Corbett has put in the time and the miles to take the reader into the streets, homes and minds of the Cuban people. The book is a cultural immersion that chips away our American preconceptions about Cuba. It presents an extremely illuminating portrait of the island that will probably disturb anyone whose view on Cuba is either glib or set in political stone. The only thing I didn't like about the book was the poor quality of the printing; most of the photos are more like ink blobs than images. Other than that, I highly recommend it. Someone should send a copy to Bush.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A gritty, realistic look at modern Cuba, Oct 29 2002
By 
This review is from: This Is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives (Hardcover)
All I can say is Wow! I'm blown away. This is a disillusioning book on life in modern Cuba that tells it exactly like it is. It's raw, engaging, and daringly unbiased in its analysis. Forget everything you've ever heard or read about Cuba. This one undermines it all, and does so with incredible detail. I felt like I was right there in Havana, hanging out with the Buena Vista Social Club, buying rice in the black market, and meeting the people in the book face to face. As a fine arts professor and Latin arts trader, I've been to Cuba four times in the past year. I have a voracious appetite for anything Cuban. However, nothing has managed to spin my head around like this book. I couldn't put it down, and many things I thought I understood about Cuba have been shattered. I hate you Corbett!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A book which NAILS the Cubano condition, May 27 2004
By 
Kurt Swenson (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This Is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives (Hardcover)
I will make this brief. I spent a few months travelling in Cuba, doing my best to stay away from Castro's state sponsored tourist complexes so that I could experience the true face of Cuba.

This book captures that true face. In all it's glories, trials, and tribulations. In all its miracles. If you want to understand Cuba, and the conditions under which the average Cuban lives, you can do two things: go down there and spend a month living in the barrio, amongst the people, and you can read this book, in which Ben Corbett has already done this living for you.

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