The Cubans. Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times. Uncorrected Proof

VINTAGESTAN BOOKS
Title: The Cubans. Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times. Uncorrected Proof 
Summary: A revelatory account of life in one of the most restrictive, isolated and misunderstood places in the world.

Famed for its equality and good health, sunshine and beauty, many celebrate Cuba, one of the world’s five remaining Communist countries, for bravely holding out against the rampant capitalism of the West. But after six decades of socialist state control, the Cubans themselves now tell a different story.

Still the government decides what work you can do and where you live. Food is rationed; milk and eggs are often scarce and basic medicines unavailable. Buildings collapse and rubbish goes uncollected. Millions break the law every day to run small businesses or simply to get by. In the desperate 1990s, after Soviet support for Cuba’s economy disappeared, people resorted to making steaks from grapefruit rinds and hair dye from old batteries. Those who attempt to cross the ninety miles of ocean to Florida have at times been imprisoned, tortured and even killed. And yet even after the death of Fidel Castro in 2016, with no free press to report such crimes or galvanise opposition, the regime shows few signs of loosening its grip.

In this pioneering work of life-writing and reportage, Anthony DePalma reconstructs the interwoven stories of five ordinary citizens and their families some whose loyalty to the system led to great personal reward but ultimately disillusionment, others turned against it by tragedy to lay their complex reality bare. Through their extraordinary journeys, from Castro’s heyday, through the devastation of post-Soviet collapse, to the false dawn and retrenchment of recent years, we see how the revolution that once inspired its people has tested their faith, and we witness the daily acts of heroism and the endlessly adaptive resilience of a people determined to survive.
Author: Anthony DePalma
Publisher: The Bodley Head. London
Year Published: 2020
Edition: Uncorrected Proof
Dimensions: 23cm x 15cm 
Binding type: Softcover
ISBN: 
Notes: This is an uncorrected proof copy printed prior to the book being published. As such this makes the book quite scarce and collectable
SKU: VSS / 251 / H / 7393 / 5675
Condition 
Dust Jacket Condition: Not applicable
Book condition: Very good. Gentle bumps to corners
Binding: Intact
Pages: 338 pages
 
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