This Is Cuba: An Outlaw Culture Survives
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,  PhiladelphiaCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.