Cuba Confidential : Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana

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Summary: Left-Winger's Take on Elian
Review: The book is useful as a review of the Elian Gonzalez case, and gives a decent overview of the past and present players in the Miami/Cuba rivalry that has been burning for the past 45 years or so. In the first part of this book, Bardach is straightforward, presents facts, and allows the reader to take what he or she will from the material. Castro's rise to power is treated succinctly and factually, with little editorial comment.
Unfortunately, the author's standard left-wing biases cloud her better judgement, and the second half of the book descends into an extended bash of the Miami Cuban community and the Bush family. Some of the Bush material is pure conspiracy theory and is quite amusing. Also, the election controversy of 2000 is rehashed by Bardach, this time with exile Cubans as the evil ones that stole the election from Al Gore.
Some interesting and informative material about Cuba here, but also a lot of left-wing nonsense to sort out.

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Summary: Fantastic Accurate Book on Miami-Cuba Connection
Review: As a former life long resident of Miami and familiar with the legal community as well as knowing many of the people mentioned in this book this is the best record of history of Miami since the Cuban revolution that changed not only Cuba but Miami forever. Being a gringo living in a "foreign" country finally someone has the courage as does Bardach to tell the true story of life in Miami and the ongoing corruption. The Miami Herald has given in to the Miami-Cuban Mafia which is evident so I don't suscribe. Amazing that Raul Cantero, once representing Mas Canosa in the suit against the New Republic is now a justice of the Floria. Supreme Court duly appointed by Jeb Bush.
Also not suprising that Mas Canosa initially had the paternity action against him dismissed by the trial court judge and never took a paterntiy test. Try that if you are John Doe and you would be tossed in jail. You can buy your justice in Miami which is no suprise. A great book, accurate in every respect that is a must read. I will buy this a x-mas gifts for my friends so they can know the truth about Miami politics. It is evident the negative reviews on this book are typically the exile extremists in denial and want to bury the truth. Thank you Ann Louise Bardach for your excellent work that deserves the Pulitzer Prize!!!!

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Summary: The Cuban story in a nutshell
Review: Cuba Confidential is an accurate and well told story of the Cuban and Cuban-American drama. Bardach fully understands the passions and misunderstandings that unite and divide Cubans. Besides being a highly literate and entertaining read, this is the first book to turn to if you are interested in knowing what has separated two neighbor countries for half a century.

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Summary: The ugly truth about both sides
Review: Cuba Confidential is an extremely biased book. Anyone with knowledge on the Cuban people will clearly see the bias against the exiled Cubans. This book portrays the Cuban american community as a bunch of extremist crooks who will do anything to get their agenda across. Of course in the Cuban community their are some extremists, but not to the point that the author makes it. This book seems to sympathize much more with Castro and his regime than with the Cubans here in the U.S. trying to live a free life. The book has very few unbiased facts. If you are looking for a completely objective book, this is not the one.

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Summary: Banana Republic Politics and South Florida
Review: Cuba Confidential: Love and Vengeance in Miami and Havana is a definitive look at the two very different communities of the Cuban exiles in Florida and New Jersey and that of the nation of Cuba. Ann Louise Bardach provides an clear and primarily unbiased look at how the Cuban Revolution of 1959 caused a rift not only between America, which used the island as a sin city playground, and Cuba but between families who choose to support Castro and those who opposed communism. Bardach's book is part history and part sociology. Thoroughly researched and written with style of writing that keeps the reader highly interested chapter after chapter, "Cuba Confidential" hits many topics ranging from politcal corruption and terrorism to family values and race relations. Three of the most interesting and intriguing chapters are those of "Calle Ocho Politics", "An Assassin's Tale in Three Acts" and "The Third Rail". I found them the most interesting because they focused on the political climate of South Florida and the overwhelming influence of the Cuban exile community on the government of the state of Florida. As a history and political science major in college, I read about the strength of the primarily conservative Cuban Americans in South Florida but I never researched how pervasive and corrupt it was and still is. "Cuba Confidential" details the long list of injustices committed by some cuban officals in Florida and the Tammany Hall political machines that they run. Even the federal government through such agencies as the FBI are found to be influenced by the power and cohersion of Cuban politicos.
If you want to learn about the darker side of the "Sunshine State" then read this book. While covering topics that have been done to death like Elian Gonzalez, it still serves up more than most readers outside of Miami ever knew about Cuba and Cuban Americans. It is a must have for both the casual reader and someone looking to start a scholarly research into Cuban Americans and Florida politics.

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Summary: Dark Mirror
Review: My Dad was a balsero, who eventually made it to Phila. where I was born, he went back to fight against Castro and we have never seen or heard from him again!I never got an opportunity to talk with him about all the politics involved in this Castro-Cuba thing but this answered so many questions. YOu're reading history but its not dull or stilted at all. Thank you Ms Bardach for a great book and although I know you lost many contacts, for writing this way. I applaud you, for your honesty and courage!!!

Rating:
Summary: The ugly truth about both sides
Review: People seem to think journalists are biased when they disagree with them. As an anthropologist who has thoroughly studied these issues from both points of view, I thought this book was quite an eye opener. Annie Bardach does a fantastic job of culling through previously-classified information about Jorge Mas Canosa and exactly how deeply he corrupted the political and judical systems of Miami as well as our own representatives in Congress. How deeply the corruption runs is absolutely shocking, as is the information on Luis Posada Carriles, who she also managed to interivew. This guy is a sociopath and a terrorist, who thinks he's on a god-driven mission to assisinate Fidel Castro (sound familiar?). Fidel doesn't fare much better.

This book basically provides an in-depth examination of the actors on the extreme poles of what many people have described as a family feud. We DID need to hear more of this information. The right-wing Cubans in Miami and the hard left ones in Havana who blindly follow the folks profiled here need to open their eyes to just the kind of people they're supporting. There are NO innocents in this equation. That's the point of the book. If that makes people uncomfortable, GOOD!!! I hope this book helps disrupt the competing victim narratives that both sides are so good at producing.

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Summary: Loving Cuba is hard love
Review: Yes, the Cubans have suffered under Castro. I agree and understand their pain. So? The Cuban American millionaires and terrorists (Bosch for example) in Bardach's book suffered and then triumphed by bringing their ideas, ideology, and conniving ways to the US under the guise of seeking freedom--Freedom to do what? Toss bombs and acid at other exiled Cubans exercising Constitutional rights? Become another demagogue like Jorge Mas Canosa, rip off the Americans, create an ethic Cuban ghetto that excludes other Latinos, spit on concert goers trying to see Cuban musicians, bribe and other wise nefariously influence Florida politics? All this and heaven too.

Well, you detractors of the book have called it disgusting and other things but the truth hurts doesn't it? I have spent time in Cuba as a US diplomat (1987-89)in the US Interests Section and know many of the people mentioned by Bardach. Her descriptions are right on the money, e.g. Elizardo Sanchez, a real hero in the Cuban human rights movement. That the Miami right wingers are against the Varela Plan is truth not fiction, and as for checking sources and reliability nothing in Havana or Miami is what it appears to be so what's the use trying to verify what's not on the record? Her book names names, dates, countries, files, memos, etc enough to satsfy me and the general reader. Of course, if you have an Anti-Castro agenda this book will infuriate you, and obviously has by the looks of some of the reviews. All I have to do is put the screwed up, angry, menacing looks we saw on TV in Miami during the Elian debacle and fit those faces to the irate reviewers. And so it goes. Perhaps one should just read Samuel Huntington's latest screed on Hispanics (Foreign Policy Magazine, March 2004) to know the Cubans want to turn South Florida into their own Banana Republic. Lord have mercy, and will the last American leaving Miami please bring the flag. Thanks Ms. Bardach for exposing this ugly under belly on both sides of the drink. Watch out for the bombers.