Cuba on the Verge: 12 Writers on Continuity and Change in Havana and Across the Country

This fascinating anthology from journalist Guerriero (A Simple Story) gathers together reflections on life in Cuba written by both natives and outsiders. The subjects profiled in the 12 entries include baseball players, actors, jineteros (hustlers), Tropicana dancers, and, in the best chapter (by Princeton professor Rubén Gallo), the owner of a clandestine bookstore–cum–dog shelter and male brothel. What emerges from these portraits (most of them translated) is the resilience of the Cuban people, who, as Cuban poet Wendy Guerra writes, can “convertir el revés en victoria, as the revolutionary maxim goes—turn the setback into a victory.” The collection places particular emphasis on the “Special Period,” the roughly decade-long time after the Cold War when Cubans struggled with the loss of Soviet economic support. There are candid revelations about women’s liberation and abortion rights, illegal cockfighting, and how being an artist “is the best paid profession,” along with interesting observations on the reception given to visitors, notably President Obama and Pope Francis. Not quite a travelogue, this appealing volume will nevertheless satisfy any Americans wanting to be transported into the lives and experiences of real Cubans. (Dec.)