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The Uprising
On August 6, 1960, in Havana's main sports arena, Fidel Castro announces the expropriations of American and national businesses. Elpidio García and his family lose the bulk of their properties. A fourth-generation farmer with a no-nonsense attitude, he doesn't run away to Miami. Instead, he arms himself and goes up into the Sierra del Escambray he knows so well, joining what came to be known as the Escambray Uprising, a real historical event. Friends, neighbors, and family follow him, including a young gay woman named Rosa, who can't care less that women are supposed to stay home and not meddle in a man's world.
In dire need of weapons, Elpidio and his guerrillas attack an army outpost and wipe out the garrison. Lieutenant Reynaldo De la Huerta dies in the fight and his brother Antonio, also an army officer, swears revenge. Months later, in Langley, VA, and counting with the Escambray Uprising's strength in numbers, the CIA starts assembling an exile force capable of storming into the island and securing a sizable beachhead in preparation for a full-blown American intervention. In Miami, as soon as they hear about it, two Cuban exiled friends, Néstor Guttman and Luis Muriel, volunteer, to the dismay of Néstor's mother and Luis' pregnant wife. Soon the 2506 Brigade becomes a fighting unit to be reckoned with. The plan is for the Brigade to land on the southern coast of Cuba, near the coastal fishing town of Casilda, ten kilometers south from the city of Trinidad, and just a stone throw away from the Sierra del Escambray, where close to five thousand men and women are up in arms. Later, Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke orders the US Task Force Alpha to escort the invaders from Nicaragua to Cuba; 2500 U.S. Marines are on board. It's April 1961. But that was Eisenhower's plan. President Kennedy, wary of heavy civilian casualties in a populated area, first changes the landing zone and at the last minute cancels all American participation, to the dismay of the U.S. Navy and the CIA. The 2506 Brigade is defeated and Lieutenant De la Huerta goes after the insurgents like a bloodhound. In a display of courage, fortitude, and resilience, the men and women in the mountains don't shy away from an uphill battle and they're still fighting when in October of 1962 the Missile Crisis comes around. When Kennedy and Khrushchev agree to defuse the situation, the rebels are left out to dry; they become collateral damage, but they keep on trudging along, determined to fight to the last bullet, to the last man.
In dire need of weapons, Elpidio and his guerrillas attack an army outpost and wipe out the garrison. Lieutenant Reynaldo De la Huerta dies in the fight and his brother Antonio, also an army officer, swears revenge. Months later, in Langley, VA, and counting with the Escambray Uprising's strength in numbers, the CIA starts assembling an exile force capable of storming into the island and securing a sizable beachhead in preparation for a full-blown American intervention. In Miami, as soon as they hear about it, two Cuban exiled friends, Néstor Guttman and Luis Muriel, volunteer, to the dismay of Néstor's mother and Luis' pregnant wife. Soon the 2506 Brigade becomes a fighting unit to be reckoned with. The plan is for the Brigade to land on the southern coast of Cuba, near the coastal fishing town of Casilda, ten kilometers south from the city of Trinidad, and just a stone throw away from the Sierra del Escambray, where close to five thousand men and women are up in arms. Later, Admiral Arleigh "31-Knot" Burke orders the US Task Force Alpha to escort the invaders from Nicaragua to Cuba; 2500 U.S. Marines are on board. It's April 1961. But that was Eisenhower's plan. President Kennedy, wary of heavy civilian casualties in a populated area, first changes the landing zone and at the last minute cancels all American participation, to the dismay of the U.S. Navy and the CIA. The 2506 Brigade is defeated and Lieutenant De la Huerta goes after the insurgents like a bloodhound. In a display of courage, fortitude, and resilience, the men and women in the mountains don't shy away from an uphill battle and they're still fighting when in October of 1962 the Missile Crisis comes around. When Kennedy and Khrushchev agree to defuse the situation, the rebels are left out to dry; they become collateral damage, but they keep on trudging along, determined to fight to the last bullet, to the last man.
Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2021
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About the author
Jorge Torrente
6 books2 followersJorge Torrente was born and raised in La Habana, Cuba. Medical Doctor. Adventurer at heart. Mariel refugee.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 5, 2021
Diane Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
The Uprising
Jorge Torrente
Independently Published
The Uprising supplies military and action readers with an adventure story set in 1960s Cuba, and revolves around a battle between farmers and military and political forces in that country.
Elpidio García's legacy to his sons (a farm) has been lost to new laws and the collective takeover of personal lands. It's up to his youngest son to join a rebellion against these processes which negate his inheritance and the family's position on the island—but this means joining a disparate group of rebels.
As the CIA becomes involved in recruiting and training exiled Cubans on American soil, the Cubans find themselves at odds not only with their own people, but the political forces that would harness their energy for their own nefarious purposes.
One might think that a prior familiarity with Cuban affairs is necessary in order to absorb this complex state of events, but The Uprising needs no prior history to prove accessible even to those with relatively little familiarity with Cuban society and events.
Jorge Torrente takes the time to create realistic, memorable characters, whose backgrounds, perceptions, and ideals drive the plot. This, in turn, makes the story of attacks, rebellion, and special interests and daily affairs come to life without the need for prior introduction.
He also excels at depicting the special interests and involvements of those abroad, who hold a particular perspective and interest in Cuba for their own reasons or due to family experiences.
The result is an engaging blend of action-packed confrontation and family life probe that brings to life not just the events of 1960s Cuba, but the different peoples who have an interest in that nation's processes, outcomes, and culture.
Anyone with an interest in Cuban society will find The Uprising involving and educational, filled with vivid stories of escapes, confrontations, and the costs and processes of social and political change.
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April 13, 2022MWSA Review
Many Americans are familiar with the foreign affairs debacle that resulted from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. However, few will be aware of the Escambey Rebellion that was occurring at the same time. Both operations would be doomed to fail, but many participants have incredible stories to be told. Author Jorge Torrente–who escaped Castro’s Cuba during the Mariel boatlift–brings this story to life in his fast-paced historical fiction novel, The Uprising: the Escambray Rebellion.
The Escambray Rebellion, which lasted roughly five years, took place in the mountainous central-southern section of Cuba of the same name. The anti-Castro participants in this struggle were called “bandits” by the regime. Perhaps not surprisingly, a large number of their compatriots considered them heroes.
Combat scenes are graphic and intense; the wartime relationships are urgent and, in many cases, tragically short. Yet, through it all, Torrente brings his fictional characters to life and will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading about their struggle for a Cuba Libre.
Review by John Cathcart (April 2022)
Many Americans are familiar with the foreign affairs debacle that resulted from the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961. However, few will be aware of the Escambey Rebellion that was occurring at the same time. Both operations would be doomed to fail, but many participants have incredible stories to be told. Author Jorge Torrente–who escaped Castro’s Cuba during the Mariel boatlift–brings this story to life in his fast-paced historical fiction novel, The Uprising: the Escambray Rebellion.
The Escambray Rebellion, which lasted roughly five years, took place in the mountainous central-southern section of Cuba of the same name. The anti-Castro participants in this struggle were called “bandits” by the regime. Perhaps not surprisingly, a large number of their compatriots considered them heroes.
Combat scenes are graphic and intense; the wartime relationships are urgent and, in many cases, tragically short. Yet, through it all, Torrente brings his fictional characters to life and will keep you on the edge of your seat while reading about their struggle for a Cuba Libre.
Review by John Cathcart (April 2022)
August 17, 2021
In The Uprising, Torrente skillfully renders the Escambray Rebellion, as well as its tangled and tragically violent causes and effects (The Cuban Missile Crisis, the failure of Operation Mongoose, and the horror of the Bay of Pigs) into the gripping narrative told by characters who are on the ground as the events unfold.
He traces the paths of the anti-Castro guerrillas battling in the Escambray Mountains, Cuban exiles leaving the U.S. to rejoin the fight, Cuban families struggling to survive, and military leaders on both sides, as their destinies are inexorably woven together.
History buffs and fiction lovers alike will find this book difficult to put down. Torrente describes everything from blazing passion to brutal violence with vividness, and crafts suspenseful scenes that leave a reader at the edge of their seat.
He traces the paths of the anti-Castro guerrillas battling in the Escambray Mountains, Cuban exiles leaving the U.S. to rejoin the fight, Cuban families struggling to survive, and military leaders on both sides, as their destinies are inexorably woven together.
History buffs and fiction lovers alike will find this book difficult to put down. Torrente describes everything from blazing passion to brutal violence with vividness, and crafts suspenseful scenes that leave a reader at the edge of their seat.
February 7, 2021
Very interesting
Ive read a couple books on Cuba and amazon recommend this one to me. I took a chance and it was great! Learned a lot and also found it entertaining.
Ive read a couple books on Cuba and amazon recommend this one to me. I took a chance and it was great! Learned a lot and also found it entertaining.
March 2, 2021
Great History very powerful ! I recommend this book
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews