Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution

by Louis A. Pérez Jr.

Book Overview

Spanning the history of the island from pre-Columbian times to the present, this highly acclaimed survey examines Cuba's political and economic development within the context of its international relations and continuing struggle for self-determination. The dualism that emerged in Cuban ideology--between liberal constructs of patria and radical formulations of nationality --is fully investigated as a source not only of national tension but of competing notions of liberty, equality, and justice which would eventually determine the form and function of Cuban mobilization. Perez integrates local and provincial developments with issues of class, race, and gender to give students a full and fascinating account of the Cuban history of struggle for nationality. The new, second edition includes the latest research on Cuba, adding a new chapter on the political and economic changes that have occurred since the Soviet Union stopped subsidizing for the Cuban economy.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195094824
• ISBN13: 9780195094824
• Release Date: November 1995
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.0" x 5.4"

Customer Reviews

Cuba, from A to Z

This is a history book, wonderfully thorough, that unfortunately at times takes on the disguise of a dozen monographs torn apart and chronologically slapped back together into one volume. It is an appropriate jumping-off point for further study of Cuba.What Perez presents in Cuba: Between Reform and Revolution is a book that few students of Cuban history can write: it is unbiased. My political and emotional perspective on Cuba is strong and personal, yet try as I may, the two times I've read this book, I did not ever find it tarnished by the rhetoric of propagandists.I recommend this book to teachers and professors searching for a complete and honest history of Cuba for classroom use, and to independent students and learners who really want a strong background knowledge on the long history of Cuba.

A good internal political history of Cuba.

Louis Perez has written a good history of internal political developments in Cuba from Columbus to Castro. What is missing, however, is the role of the U.S.; Perez almost totally ignores it. He has a separate volume dealing with U.S.-Cuban relations, but it still seems that more should have been included in this one. Perhaps Perez views Cuban events as just that: purely Cuban with outside influences mattering little.

Best Cuban history book available

I read this book 8 years ago (the first edition) and still remember it as being the best Cuban history book available. Perez tells Cuba's history thoroughly, using fascinating details and stories, and does a masterful job at explaining the main tendencies in the island's history. His writing is clear, entertaining and well-referenced. His political position does not dominate his account either and refrains from bashing or glorifying the revolutionary period. If I was going to suggest only one book on Cuba's history, it would be this one. (And I've read most of what's available)