Ninety Miles: Cuban Journeys in the Age of Castro

by Ian Michael James

A brilliant musician. A young woman in love. A determined free-thinker who risked everything for his cause. This compelling book tells their stories, offering vivid glimpses into the lives of three Cubans from the triumph of Fidel Castro's revolution in 1959 to the present. Their experiences come alive in a narrative filled with childhood pranks, secret plots, and wrenching family decisions. Spanning nearly five decades of life in Cuba and in exile, this wide-ranging human history is also an intimately personal narrative, one that helps explain Cubans' complex and diverse views about the path their country has taken.

Hardcover

First published October 12, 2006

Reviews

[Jonathan Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Among the plethora of books I've read about modern day Cuba, this one puts an especially personal touch to the stories. Following the lives of 3 very different Cubans in the backdrop of a setting very familiar to me - 1) a celebrated grammy award winning musician; 2) a former revolutionary guerrilla who once fought side by side with Castro and Guevara; 3) a young bright-eyed student with the world in front of her. All 3 stories begin with their initial years and support for Castro's revolution, faltering over the years due to unfulfilled promises and even betrayal leading to search for Amnesty in the US. Another 3 classic examples of the promise and potential that Castro's revolution began with that ultimately fell apart under the thirst of individual power. Like most personal stories, this book is filled with the opposing viewpoints that our 3 protagonists encounter on a daily basis from both sides around them... family members who continue to support Castro in spite of his abandonment of democratic and social ideals (their support in strong part due to US policy from days of Batista to unilateral antagonism), and friends who continue a strict line of unequivocal militancy and opposition rather than diplomacy and compromise (can we say... Israel/Palestine anyone?) The stories are not so different from those we hear and read about daily, but certainly put faces and a degree of familiarity behind the continuing struggle. The real question is - what can we learn from these stories and how to actually reach a positive situation vs. the 50yr long staring contest between Washington-Havana which has done well to serve the interests of a few individuals but certainly not the greater populaces?

[Naoki Yokobayashi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book brought me mixed feelings on Cuban exiles who left their “Patria”. None of them willingly left the country but the political and economic system of the dictatorship led by Fidel Castro forced them to do so. More than 15 years have passed since the publication of this book, and, unfortunately, almost nothing has changed, or the situation has got even worse. (I’m one of the witnesses living in Havana.)

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author's voice feels a bit juvenile at times, but perhaps this makes the book more accessible to a younger audience.

[Jan Boyles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Worth reading especially if you are curious about Cuba