Havana: Autobiography of a City

by Alfredo José Estrada

Autobiography of a City takes readers from the Plaza de Armas, the tree-lined square where Havana was founded by conquistadors in 1519, to the Malecón, the elegant boulevard along the shore where Fidel Castro rode a Russian tank in triumph. Estrada portrays the adventurers and dreamers who left their mark on Havana, including José Martí, martyr for Cuban independence; and Ernest Hemingway, the most American of writers who became an unabashed Habanero. The book is a deeply personal account of a love affair with a city, as well as an entertaining portrait of a place not easily forgotten.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is the best way to do travel reading:

Tap in to a book like this that butters you up for your trip, read the majority of it but run out of time, finish it when you come back.

You see, I enjoyed it before, I enjoyed it more during and I enjoyed it maybe just as much after.

[Alexis(Andra) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Read this in preparation for a trip to Cuba. Multilayered historical narrative. Personal accounts from the author , rich descriptions, and explanations for the culture of the island from the 15 century to the present( Castro hadn't died yet).

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love it! Easy read and lots interesting info for those who care about Cuba

[MikeFromQueens · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK, but not expansive enough on so rich a subject.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this during and after a trip to Havana — a very readable history, was useful on my trip

[Steve Wilner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid book, more of a walking tour than in depth history. Fun to compare to my recollection of visits past!

[John Gurney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly an "autobiography" of Havana, interspersed with history, geography and culture. The tale includes numerous vignettes and interesting facts.

In the city that brought us the rumba, mojitos, daiquiris, the Cuban cigar and fine rum, author Estrada shows us characters such as Christopher Columbus and Ponce de Leon, pirates, the Spanish treasure fleet, plantation owners, slavers and slaves, and rebel Jose Marti. We meet Hearst's newspaper reporters, the exploding battleship Maine, Teddy Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway, Graham Greene (author of "Our Man in Havana"), and operators of casinos and nightclubs like the Tropicana. We find Dezi Arnaz, Hollywood visitors, corrupt presidents like Machado and Batista, Sumner Welles, John F. Kennedy, Che Guevara, Fidel Castro, Miami exiles and their offspring like Gloria Estefan and MLB players.

The story all but ends in 1959, skirting around the tidal waves of Cold War politics, the Cuba Embargo and the like. Appropriately enough, 1959 is the year Havana died.

[Neil Mudde · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written book, by an Cuban expatriot, he obviously did his research into the history of Cuba, many anecdotes about Che, Castro and all those characters that were part of the revolutiong, and although Mr Estrada now lives in Texas, he has written this as a historical piece, the notes tell me " It is vivid enough to make an exile weep, when Havana finally sheds its monstrous dictatorship, this will be the book to take along and savor , page by page street by street"Mr Estrade affords us a look into the pre- Castro days, which were certainly not more idealistic, perhaps monstrous in a different way, and off course the US stood to lose a great deal by losing Cuba.
Having watched President Obama recently shake the hand of Raol off course there will be changes down the road, it will be interesting to see what manner these will manifest themselves.
This coming Saturday I will be visiting Havana for 2 weeks, as a Canadian I am allowed to do this, so who knows what I may find, I read this book to learn more about the city.

[Doctor Sax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb!!
This Havana/Cuban history will never be confused with the Hugh Thomas edition "Cuba" (almost 1,200 pages)....and that is a good thing. This was the best over-all history I have read about Havana/Cuba, and I have read several. It is not the most comprehensive in any one area, but that does not deter the fact that it is a tremendous read. There is plenty of material out there if you want to read about specific Cuban history like the Sugar Baron's or the Revolution etc. This covers everything from the Taino Indians right up through the special period and contains ancedotes not revealed before in my extensive Cuban readings.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of Havana, and oftentimes Cuba overall. The chapters cover diverse topics and provide enough info to be informative, written well so that it's an enjoyable read - but not so much that it becomes boring. Other reviews may comment that this is not a massive, in-depth look at Havana - but not everyone wants that. If you're traveling to Havana and want a good read to put you in-the-know, this is probably the book you are looking for.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of Cuban history within the frame of Havana. Exciting and easy to read, with a bit more military history than I wanted, but plenty of social, artistic, and political history, too. Just enough anecdotes and asides from the author to make him personable and to put the book in context. A fantastic book to have while visiting the country.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

So-so writing, interesting subject. The history of the triangle-trade, colonial tensions, immigration, and revolution are very interesting. The author's personal reflections and gossipy bits on Hemingway are very dull.

[Lauren Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This history of Havana made me want to read a history of Havana. It was more anecdotal than narrative and I got lost occasionally in the time line. But it had enough interesting bits to make me want to read a straight narrative.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed reading about the early history of Cuba I was disappointed with Alfredo's criticisms of Cuba with its situation now. The embargo is still on going and yes Castro has not been the greatest of leaders but the U.S. shoulders much of the blame for Cuba's ills.

[Susan Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very detailed political, social, and cultural, history not only of Havana, but of Cuba. Great background for upcoming trip to Cuba. Some parts very skimable. Good references to other books, movies, etc. I will check out. A love story!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

very nicely written

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Read it in preparation for our trip to Cuba in January; when we gifted it to our Cuban tour guide, he remarked it's one of the best written about Havana. A great read.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a personal little tour through a city I have yet to meet.

[Rebecca Dougherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too long. The ending was very abrupt. I would have appreciated a thorough look at the last 60+ years similar to the earlier history detailed in the rest of the book.