Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution

by T.J. English

book data

229 ratings, 3.74 average rating, 96 reviews (more data...)

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5		18%
4		45%
3		27%
2		6%
1		1%

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published

June 1st 2008 by William Morrow

binding

Hardcover, 400 pages

isbn

0061147710 (isbn13: 9780061147715)

description

In modern-day Havana, the remnants of the glamorous past are everywhere—the old hotel-casinos, vintage American cars, and flickering neon signs speak

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In modern-day Havana, the remnants of the glamorous past are everywhere—the old hotel-casinos, vintage American cars, and flickering neon signs speak of a bygone era that is widely familiar and often romanticized, but little understood. In Havana Nocturne, T. J. English offers a riveting, multifaceted true tale of organized crime, political corruption, roaring nightlife, revolution, and international conflict that interweaves the dual stories of the Mob in Havana and the event that would overshadow it, the Cuban Revolution.

As the Cuban people labored under a violently repressive regime throughout the 1950s, Mob leaders Meyer Lansky and Charles "Lucky" Luciano turned their eye to Havana. To them, Cuba was the ultimate dream, the greatest hope for the future of the American Mob in the post-Prohibition years of intensified government crackdowns. But when it came time to make their move, it was Lansky, the brilliant Jewish mobster, who reigned supreme. Having cultivated strong ties with the Cuban government and in particular the brutal dictator Fulgencio Batista, Lansky brought key mobsters to Havana to put his ambitious business plans in motion.

Before long, the Mob, with Batista's corrupt government in its pocket, owned the biggest luxury hotels and casinos in Havana, launching an unprecedented tourism boom complete with the most lavish entertainment, the world's biggest celebrities, the most beautiful women, and gambling galore. But their dreams collided with those of Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and others who would lead the country's disenfranchised to overthrow their corrupt government and its foreign partners—an epic cultural battle that English captures in all its sexy, decadent, ugly glory.

Bringing together long-buried historical information with English's own research in Havana—including interviews with the era's key survivors—Havana Nocturne takes readers back to Cuba in the years when it was a veritable devil's playground for mob leaders. English deftly weaves together the parallel stories of the Havana Mob—featuring notorious criminals such as Santo Trafficante Jr. and Albert Anastasia—and Castro's 26th of July Movement in a riveting, up-close look at how the Mob nearly attained its biggest dream in Havana—and how Fidel Castro trumped it all with the Cuban Revolution.

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06/07/08

Alex Santiago rated it:

bookshelves: the-latin-experience

Read in July, 2008

I was always curious as to knowing more about the Mob ties to Cuba, as I knew just tidbits of info; 'Havana Nocturne' lays everything bare from the beginning to virtually that last shakened cocktail in the Mob-run casinos on that fateful New Year's Day of 1959. From Meyer Lansky, the Lower East Side kid who grew to be the brains behind the Mob muscle and brawn, and the brilliant architect of who was very close to making Havana the "Monte Carlo of the Caribbean"; President Fulgencio Ba...more

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10/03/08

Steven rated it:

Read in December, 2008

T.J. English combines a historian's diligence with a crime reporter's appetite for bloody gossip and revealing, sleazy anecdotes. The story of how Lucky Luciano and a cabal of American gangsters worked to turn Havana into a Caribbean Las Vegas (with the help of dictator Fulgencio Batista) has been lying around for decades, waiting to be told properly, and English has done lots of valuable spadework and original reporting. He also fits the gangsters into the political currents of the time. For th...more

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09/01/08

Eric rated it:

Read in September, 2008

Excellent history of the mafia's time in Cuba. Kennedy, Sinatra, George Raft, Fidel Castro, and many legendary mafia figures are involved in the story. However, the main focus of the history is Meyer Lansky who was the main force behind turning Havana into the mafia's playground. I have only two complaints about the book: 1) I got bogged down in the middle; 2) I'm still not sure how the Castro took over Cuba - which is probably intentional as this is a history of the mafia in Cuba many of whom...more

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12/30/08

Sharon rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Throughout the 1950's the American Mob, lead by Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano, developed a gambling, resort and entertainment empire in Cuba. It was a huge undertaking by the Mob to control not only an entire industry, as they had done in Las Vegas, but also to control an entire country. In Fugencio Batista the Mob found a partner and ally who was able to control the country while taking a share of the profits.

The venture appeared to be the beginning of a new level of power and co...more Throughout the 1950's the American Mob, lead by Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano, developed a gambling, resort and entertainment empire in Cuba. It was a huge undertaking by the Mob to control not only an entire industry, as they had done in Las Vegas, but also to control an entire country. In Fugencio Batista the Mob found a partner and ally who was able to control the country while taking a share of the profits.

The venture appeared to be the beginning of a new level of power and control for the Mob. But the revolution got in the way.

The first half of the book tells how the Mob managed to orchestrate the development of this industry--a many year process of aquisitions, political manipulation, murder and bribes. The second half discusses the revolution and Fidel Castro's amazing rise to power. While the Mob's story is simply a tale of business development (albeit amazingly ruthless and corrupt business), Castro's story is almost unbelieveable. The Batista government, known for its brutality, had the backing not only of the Mob but also the United States. It was a formidable combination of power and money and yet Castro managed to lead and survive the revolution against them, survive the plots and attacks on him following the revolution, and remain in control of Cuba for far longer than any of his adversaries.

Among other tidbits from the book, the author suggests that the Mob was responsible for the popular development of jazz. "It is probable that jazz would have been born without the influence of the Mob, but it is unliely the music would have grown and flourished as it did without the economic framework provided by organized crime." During the 1920's the bootlegging rackets made it possible for nightclubs to hire large orchestras and many of the famous orchestras, like Count Basie's and Duke Ellington's, were started in Mob-controled clubs. The Mob owned the Cotton Club in Harlem and the jazz clubs in Kansas City. The Afro-Cuban jazz was developed and popularized in Mob controlled Havana. (less)

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04/11/09

Matthew rated it:

Cuba is a hot topic right now and soon America may once again allow it's citizens to visit the island. This book should go on everyones list who wants to travel to Cuba. Mr. English describes a country and a city, Havana, that was the leisure center of North America. With American law enforcement increasingly cramping the style of Mafia Dons like Myer Lansky and Bugsy Seagal, Cuba becomes a perfect headquarters for their operations and it's only 90 miles for US soil. Perhaps the most enticing...more

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06/12/09

Brian Saul rated it:

Read in August, 2008

This was a book I found hard to put down. A fascinating account of those mobsters we've all heard about but didn't really know that much about. The curious links and relationships between characters such as Meyer Lansky, Lucky Luciano, Cubas' F. Batista, American politicians, musicians, and leaders kept me captivated.
Probably most interesting to me was the explanation of how the mob helped out the U.S. government to win the war in Europe and the subsequent development of interest in that...more

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07/19/08

Norm rated it:

To read my review CLICK LINK BELOW

http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/0...

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12/13/08

Joseph Hlebica rated it:

Read in December, 2008

Approximately one-third of the way through English's novelistic history of pre-Revolution era Cuba, I am captivated. This is a page-turner that reads like the treatment for a great movie. The movie has already been made, in a sense, considering how closely Andy Garcia's Lost City follows the true history of Havana on the eve of Castro's revolution. The major players are the military dictator Batista, American mob-boss Meyer Lansky, and revolutionary Fidel Castro. A story that proves once again t...more

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12/30/08

Allen rated it:

bookshelves: history

Read in December, 2008

This one was on the new book shelf at the university library, and it called out to me. It's an easy read and a fascinating story. I suppose I had been aware in the past that there was a lot of mob involvement in pre-Castro Cuba, but this history of the period was still an eye-opener. Cuba was a mobster's paradise, a place that made Vegas look tame. It must have been an astounding scene. It clearly was a fertile ground for jazz performers. At the same time, the exploitation of the local pop...more

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10/09/08

ari rated it:

Read in January, 2008

recommended to ari by: cubaphiles, mobphiles

Like many a book written after the year 2000, I only bought this book because I saw the author being interviewed on The Daily Show. One thing that I love about Jon Stewart is that you can tell when he's actually read the book versus when some poor interns had to come up with succinct, cohesive notes on stupid current affair books. The line during the interview that sold me on the book was when Jon Stewart said, "You know a book is good when there is a throwaway line about JFK having an orgy...more Like many a book written after the year 2000, I only bought this book because I saw the author being interviewed on The Daily Show. One thing that I love about Jon Stewart is that you can tell when he's actually read the book versus when some poor interns had to come up with succinct, cohesive notes on stupid current affair books. The line during the interview that sold me on the book was when Jon Stewart said, "You know a book is good when there is a throwaway line about JFK having an orgy."

So, with that out the way, if you have any interest in Cuba I implore you to ignore the tacky cover art. It turns out that no historical narrative about Cuba is complete without understanding the story of the American mob in Cuba in the periods leading up to the Revolution. The stories are in and of themselves breathtaking in their ambition and gravitas, in a way that really lends weight to the phrase "the following is based on a true story..."

Much like the kind of tacky fictionalized accounts that often follow those words of false credibility, the real story is almost impossible to discern. The book is most impressive in its ability to set the foundation for post-Revolution Cuba, almost regardless of how you actually view the truth of the situation. He paints complicated, conflicting views of many of the main players in Cuban history: Fulgencio Batista, the brutal political tyrant but fierce populist who (amazingly enough) was actually responsible for some of the policies Fidel Castro would later take credit for; Castro, of course, who comes across as a bougie kid with a disdain for authority; and Meyer Lansky who was brilliant in his organization of casinos but was completely blind-sided by the surrounding political climate.

What makes the context of this book so interesting is that both Cuba and the mob lend themselves to overly-romanticized recounts in narrative form. Maybe both subjects elicit a bit of idealized empathy, or maybe both subjects are so captivating simply because the truth that guides these stories is so bizarre and foreign to most of us. I can't say for certain the TJ English really falls prey to this same kind of rosy-eyed view of the period, but I would imagine that is because I'm already somewhat empathetic having already traveled to Cuba and being somewhat more familiar with the culture. Ultimately, English has done his homework and I think the book can be appreciated by a large variety of people.

(On a side note, sometimes these reviews feel like the end of Reading Rainbow when they would get kids to read reviews of children's books that were clearly, in retrospect, written by adults.)(less)

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10/05/08

Alexis rated it:

Read in November, 2008

It's probably a good book if you're already familiar with the american mob or the cuban revolution but I didn't find it detailed or convincing enough. And the writing is not good. He uses "preoccupied" when he means busy, "carrion" when he means animals that eat carrion, a lot of sloppy stuff like that. I guess finally what I wasn't sold on was how the cuban people came to associate the casinos with mobsters and batista's corruption given how the author describes the choke...more

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09/04/08

Suzi rated it:

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: political and mob junkies

Fun read about how Cuba was going to become a mobster-owned "nation". But, their own greed, Batista's heavy-handedness, and crazy Fidel all combined to make the gambling and boozing and humping capital of the world go down fast. Author spends too much time on mob minutia, but the gossip about JFK and his sexual predilections are interesting. And it's another book that shows how the mob and government and business and WWII and all that jazz led up to some very profitable and unholy a...more

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08/15/08

El rated it:

Read in August, 2008

Havana Nocturne by T. J. English

This is a fascinating look at Cuba just before Castro rose to power.

Havana in the 1950s was a steamy, beautiful, sexy city. Batista was in control of Cuba and the mob was in control of Havana with intentions of turning it into a Monte Carlo-like playground just off America's shore. This book brings 1950s and '60s American and Cuban politics to life but reads like great crime fiction. I couldn't put it down. The author explains how the ...more

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07/28/08

Andrew rated it:

Read in January, 2009

What does anybody know about Cuba in this country? I once read a Che Guevara biography while on excavation in the Republic of Ecuador. That book, along with Orwell's account of the Spanish Civil War, "Homage to Catolonia," probably convinced my Latin professors, en de sur, that I was indeed a Communist. Maybe that endeared them to me, maybe it didn't. In any case, that Che book gave me my first real insight to Cuban history and culture (and it was a book about an Argentinian). We are, ...more What does anybody know about Cuba in this country? I once read a Che Guevara biography while on excavation in the Republic of Ecuador. That book, along with Orwell's account of the Spanish Civil War, "Homage to Catolonia," probably convinced my Latin professors, en de sur, that I was indeed a Communist. Maybe that endeared them to me, maybe it didn't. In any case, that Che book gave me my first real insight to Cuban history and culture (and it was a book about an Argentinian). We are, of course, cutoff from Cuba, 90 miles from Miami, and our third closest neighbor after Canada and Mexico. Cut off culturally, historically, and economically. As youths we are maybe told about president Roosevelt's brave exploits in Cuba during the Spanish-American war (The Bull Moose freed the Cuban people you know). Then we are told nothing else until that Devil of all Devil's, Fidel Castro, cloaked in olive drab and shaggy beard, puffing away on phallic cigar, led his band of mercenaries to topple the Cuban government and has since terrorized the helpless Cuban people while giving the American government the proverbial finger. Maybe we are told about Castro in contrast to the brave Kennedy, and of that seminal incident forever known as The Cuban Missile Crisis.

We are never really told anything about Cuba, or Batista, their president before Castro, or about the incidents that led up to and gave birth to people like Fidel, and Che, events leading up to La Revolucion. This book is a good introduction to modern Cuban history. It ends with the revolution's march into Havana and begins some twenty years before when the American mafia began its plans to turn that city into a hedonistic capital, with complete autonomy, exploiting the Cuban people for the pleasures of the American elite; a city where anything could be bought for a price, and most of that money was laundered back into the pockets of American gangsters, politicians and corrupt entertainers.

This is definitely the underside of that golden age of American white culture: the 50's. Sinatra, Kennedy, the Cha Cha Cha, the razzle and dazzle of what is now a cartoonish mafia. All are here, partying it up in Havana, engaging in smoky rooms with prostitutes and drugs, and all with a blind eye to an exploited and proud people who collectively decided they'd had enough, who turned to a peasant rebel leader and their guns. And have paid the price for defying the American dollar ever since.

This is a good book. We need to learn more about Cuba and we need to learn it fast. Castro is on his way out and if you look close enough you can see our old-school politicians rubbing their sweaty palms together in the hopes that Havana can be restored to its mid-century glory as a vacation paradise for the jet-setting rich. If you read this book, you should read it while thinking about our institutionalized ignorance of that country. There is a whole system set in place to keep Americans from traveling to Cuba. It is, in fact, a federal offense to go there. We need to ask why, at 90 miles away, we are forbidden from visiting one of our closest neighbors. (less)

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04/10/09

Nklein98 rated it:

Read in April, 2009

As a person who loves history this book was fascinating and it was obviously well-researched. It was about a part of history that I knew little if anything about so for that reason it was worth my time. However, the author would repeat facts that he had just revealed in the previous chapters. A good look at how the miscalculations by some of the best known figures of the American Underworld helped to bring down their influence not only in Cuba but in the US while at the same time showing how ...more

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05/03/09

Paula rated it:

Read in May, 2009

I already wanted to go to Cuba, now the urge is stronger. A fascinating telling of the rise and fall of the Cuban Mob, Batista, Castro, and the CIA. "Havana Nocturne" reads better than a Hollywood script. English pulls from myriad sources to document this knot of players vying for control of this island 90 miles off the coast of Florida. The time line starts not long before I was born and the events have been a constant background noise through my life. I want to see it now, befor...more

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12/03/08

Jonathan rated it:

bookshelves: history-biography

Read in December, 2008

I really wanted to like this book more. After seeing some interviews with English, I had higher hopes. The story was interesting, but English's writing style wasn't all that enjoyable to me. He used lots of mobisms like "whacked" and "blown away" that seemed out of place in a book that isn't a gangster novel. He never seemed to find a proper tone, he was always somewhere between erudite and flippant. The history of Cuba and the gangsters' paradise that might have been ma...more

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12/23/08

Dan rated it:

Read in December, 2008

A fun, mildly entertaining read. The parts about Castro, Cuban politics, and the Revolution were FASCINATING, but overall, since I'm not a mafia/Godfather buff at all, I couldn't quite give it a 3.
NOTE: If you are at all interested in this type of thing, watch the author interview on the Daily Show website. That's what hooked me into buying the book. It's a fascinating conversation, if nothing else.

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03/07/09

Nancy rated it:

bookshelves: non-fiction

Read in January, 2009

This book was recommended by a family friend who grew up in Cuba. This book was very, very interesting. As someone else I know who read it said, “It has everything- sex, drugs, money…”
I want to learn more about Cuba. Was the common Cuban aware of the mob and Battista’s involvement with them? I would also like to see the Andy Garcia movie, The Lost City, relating to Cuba in this era.

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12/30/08

Shirley rated it:

Read in January, 2009

Incredible history of Cuba, Batista's corrupt rein, US involvement and support and of course, Fidel Castro. This is an unbiased but highly revealing view of the Mob and its many larger than life characters with an emphasis on Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante.

Only question I'm left with is how the author got to make the trips without being fined under the Bush Administration???

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