Castro, the Blacks, and Africa by Carlos Moore, UCLA Center for Afro- American Studies, 1989, $43 (cloth), $23.50 (paper). Like many Cuban-American 6migr6s, Carlos Moore has a tremen- dous axe to grind. But he has written an insightful, provocative and scholarly account of Cuba’s Africa policy. He argues that the revolution’s adventures overseas have been undertaken primar- ily to co-opt Cuba’s black majority, disenchanted by the failure to combat racism at home. Moore’s anger so per- vades the book that readers may dis- miss the serious and pertinent questions he raises. That would be unfortunate, because race-that undeniable, yet eter- nally denied characteristic of Cuban society-is indeed key to understand- ing the dynamics of Cuban politics. Jose Marti and the Emigre Colony in Key West: Leadership and State For- mation by C. Neale Ronning, 1990, Praeger, 175 pp., $35.00 (cloth). The Cuban 6migr6 colony in Key West played a central role in the emer- gence of Marti as the leader of the Cuban independence movement in the 1890s. Key West was the largest of the dozen or so 6migr6 enclaves in the United States, and was “the leading repository of revolutionary activity” against the island’s colonial govem- ment. This biography examines in de- tail the impact of the exile community on the figure Cubans still look upon as their “founding father.” The Church and Socialism in Cuba by Ratil G6mez Treto, Orbis Books, 1989, 151 pp., $9.95 (paper). A concise historical overview writ- ten by a prominent Cuban lay Catholic. G6mez Treto describes the phases of church relations with the revolutionary state: uneasiness (1959-1960); resis- tance (1961-1962); avoidance (1963- 1967) rapprochement (1968-78); and, finally, dialogue. A good resource on this important issue. Literary Bondage: Slavery in Cuban Narrative by William Luis, Univ. of Texas Press, 1990, 311 pp., $40.00 (cloth). Sugar and slaves were the twin pil- lars of the Cuban economy in the nine- teenth century. Slavery was not abol- ished in Cuba until 1886, much later than in other Latin American countries, and the antislavery narrative is still an important genre in Cuban literature. This study traces that theme, bringing to light the island’s rich tradition of Afro-Latin literature and culture. Managing Socialism: From Old Cadres to New Professionals in Revo- lutionary Cuba by Frank T. Fitzger- ald, Praeger, 1990, 176 pp., $39.95 (cloth). Soon after the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, that nation lost most of its skilled and professional labor pool. The ad hoc rebuilding managerial cadres in the 1960s, the emergence of trained professionals the following decade, and the progressive displacement of former by the latter, is the subject of this book. While refraining from speculating about the emergence of a “new class,” Fitz- gerald argues that the role of these managers and professionals has been key to the successes and failures of Cuban development. The United States and the Origins of the Cuban Revolution: An Empire of Liberty in an Age of National Libera- tion by Jules R. Benjamin, Princeton Univ., 1990, 235 pp., $29.95 (cloth). In this staid but readable account of the history of U.S. Cuba policy from Thomas Jefferson to Operation Mon- goose, Benjamin offers a sophisticated discussion of policy-makers’ motiva- tions. He argues persuasively that the revolution was the natural result of overbearing U.S. influence. National Endowment for Democracy: A Foreign Policy Branch Gone Awry by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs and the Inter-Hemispheric Resource Center, 1990, 94 pp., $8.95. A must-read for anyone who wants to know who’s who in the parallel for- eign policy establishment. NED is a branch of the U.S. government, at the center of an interlocking network of public agencies and private, mainly right-wing, organizations. The report, which focuses on NED’s operations in Latin America, chronicles how it has come to be an “international political action committee,” distributing U.S. government funds to a multitude of partisan projects around the world. The Idea of Race in Latin America, 1870-1940 ed. by Richard Graham, Univ. of Texas Press, 1990, 145 pp., $15.95 (cloth), $7.95 (paper). “Latin Americans faced a difficult intellectual dilemma regarding race. On the one hand, racial heterogeneity char- acterized most of their societies. On the other, many Latin Americans aspired to an ever closer connection to Europe and sought to follow its leadership in every realm.” The response of Latin America to the “scientific” racism prevalent in Europe for decades is the subject of this book. Case studies in- clude: “Racial Ideas and Social Policy in Brazil,” “Race in Argentina and Cuba,” and “Racism, Revolution and Indigenismo: Mexico.” To Lead As Equals: Rural Protest and Political Consciousness in Chi- nandega, Nicaragua, 1912-1979 by Jeffrey L. Gould, Univ. of North Caro- lina Press, 1990, 377 pp., $47.50 (cloth), $14.95 (paper). This book is oral history at its best. Gould examines the process of peasant radicalization in the economically stra- tegic province of Chinandega, docu- menting the evolution of consciousness from the clientelistic dependency of the early Somoza years to the gradual fus- ing of popular and middle-class oppo- sition movements. An important con- tribution to understanding Nicaraguan history and political culture. A Miracle, A Universe: Settling Ac- counts with Torturers by Lawrence Weschler, Pantheon, 1990, $22.95 (cloth). Thousands were jailed, tortured and executed during the 1960s in Brazil and the 1970s in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile. As the dictatorships intended, this carnage wounded the body politic and traumatized society as a whole. Now that the generals have pulled back, coming to grips with this nightmare- and its perpetrators-has become a national drama. What will keep it from recurring? Punishing the criminals and risking vengeance? Or forgiving them and leaving their power and self-image intact for the next round? Weschler is a master story-teller, and his account of how Brazilians and Uruguayans have grappled with this issue is gripping, painful and, at once, beautiful.
