On July 26, 2003, the 50th anniversary of the Moncada Army Barracks raid in Santiago de Cuba, something unexpected happens. When Fidel Pérez and his brother accidentally tumble to their deaths from their Havana balcony, the neighbors’ outcry, “Fidel has fallen,” is misinterpreted by those who hear it. The misinformation quickly ripples outward, and it reawakens the city. Three Cubans in particular are affected by the news—an elderly vagrant Saturnina, Professor Pedro Valle, and his student Camilo—all haunted by the past and now forced to confront a new future, perhaps another revolution. Their stories are beautifully intertwined as they converge in the frantic crowd that gathers in La Plaza de la Revolución. By turns humorous and deeply poignant, The Death of Fidel Pérez reflects on the broken promises of the Cuban Revolution and reveals the heart of a people with a long collective memory.

Cuba has loomed large in American memory and history. Throughout the last half-century, the island and its larger-than-life revolutionary leader have been key players in the Cold War and mythologized by Americans and American politicians. In 2016, relations thawed, and the country opened its doors to American. The Rolling Stones played in Havana. President Obama arrived too in March. He was the first President to visit the nation almost 100 years—since Coolidge in 1928. And then Fidel Castro passed away in November 2016, marking the end of the momentous era in Cuban history. In The Day Fidel Died, Patrick Symmes interweaves reporting from years spent traveling to the Cuban Island, a narrative history of the rise of Fidelismo and the last sixty-plus years of life there under Fidel. Symmes’ exploration of the Castros’ Cuba—how it came to be and what it’s becoming—paints a wondrous and striking portrait of the nation, its culture, politics and people for anyone first undertaking a trip or those still dreaming of doing so. A Vintage Shorts ebook original.

REVIEWS ?a passionate literary experience.' Carlos Alberto Montaner ?Hirst strives to uncover the hidden roots of underdevelopment, amid the legacy of privilege, discrimination, and injustice. He also includes an analysis of why the history of Latin America is one of ongoing frustrations, with every so often the rise of a protector, savior, or leader of the poor, who eventually plunges those people into an abyss deeper and worse then what they had before the onset of these ?vigilantes'.' PanAm Post ?a tragicomic satire about the Chavista revolution, in the tradition of Latin American magical realism; fun at times, but overall worrying and disquieting, particularly as it relates to the future.' El Universal ?That is why, my new friends? the visitor was still speaking. Freddy snapped back to the moment. ?I would like to make a special request to you from our Comandante, the freely and democratically elected president of Venezuela. He is holding a special socialist youth summit, where la juventud socialista will come from all over the world to learn the lessons of our Revolución Pacifica.' Freddy's heart skipped a beat. He looked up into the dark brown eyes of his new hero and was sure that the message was for him alone. ?Please, come. Take a folleto, and if you are interested, follow the instructions to sign up.' And with that, the presentation was over. The first to jump out of his seat, Freddy accosted the speaker with questions. ? The class started to clear out '. Nobody else seemed interested, but Freddy made up for it with his enthusiasm. They talked for a long time about the government, the political organization, and some history. Finally, Freddy asked about the student movement he'd seen on TV. ?They talk specifically about this one girl ? Immediately, a light-skinned young man with dark hair and a thick accent barged angrily into the classroom. ?How dare you? What do you know about it?

Based on hundreds of interviews conducted over many years in 28 countries, including extensive personal interviews with Castro himself, Georgie Anne Geyer reveals the untold story of Fidel Castro in this definitive biography.

PEN/Faulkner Award Finalist: A “superb story collection” about America and Cuba, escape and return, and history and hope (Los Angeles Times). Longlisted for The Story Prize One of Electric Literature’s Best Short Story Collections of the Year In “Superman,” several possible story lines emerge about a 1950s Havana sex-show superstar who disappeared as soon as the revolution triumphed. “North/South” portrays a migrant family trying to cope with separation and the eventual disintegration of blood ties. “The Cola of Oblivion” follows a young woman who returns to Cuba and inadvertently uncorks a history of accommodation and betrayal among the family members who stayed behind during the revolution. And in the title story, an interrogation reveals a series of fantasies about escape and a history of futility. The Cubans in Achy Obejas’ story collection are haunted by islands: the island they fled, the island they’ve created, the island they were taken to or forced from, the island they long for, the island they return to, and the island that can never be home again. “[A] memorable short fiction collection.” —Publishers Weekly “By turns searing and subtly magical . . . Obejas’ plots are ambushing, her characters startling, her metaphors fresh, her humor caustic, and her compassion potent in these intricate and haunting stories of displacement, loss, stoicism, and realization.” —Booklist “Obejas writes with gentleness, without flashy wording or gimmicks, about people trying to figure out where they belong.” —Los Angeles Review of Books

A revelatory memoir of the 17 years Juan Sanchez spent as one of Fidel Castro's personal soldiers, in his innermost circle

This is a compelling behind-the-scenes account of the extraordinary Castro brothers and the dynastic succession of Fidel's younger brother Raul. Brian Latell, the CIA analyst who has followed Castro since the sixties, gives an unprecedented view into Fidel and Raul's remarkable relationship, revealing how they have collaborated in policy making, divided responsibilities, and resolved disagreements for more than forty years--a challenge to the notion that Fidel always acts alone. Latell has had more access to the brothers than anyone else in this country, and his briefs to the CIA informed much of U.S. policy. Based on his knowledge of Raul Castro, Latell makes projections on what kind of leader Raul will be and how the shift in power might influence U.S.-Cuban relations.