Cuba : what everyone needs to know

Summary: Ever since Fidel Castro assumed power in Cuba in 1959, Americans have been obsessed with the socialist nation ninety miles south of Florida, an obsession fueled in part by successive waves of Cuban immigration and Castro's fiery, larger-than-life persona. The author presents a concise, authoritative, and remarkably accessible portrait of the small island nation. The book gives an overview of Cuba's history from its days as a Spanish colony through the first half of the twentieth century before shifting to more recent events: the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, the exploits of Che Guevara in the early years of the revolution, the saga of Elián Gonzalez in 2000, Castro's failing health, the new dynamics unleashed by the presidency of his brother Raul, and the Obama administration's policies toward the island.