Young Castro by Jonathan M Hansen
An intimate, revisionist portrait of the early years of Fidel Castro, showing how an unlikely young Cuban led his country in revolution and transfixed the world. This book will change how you think about Fidel Castro. Until now, biographers have treated Castro's life like prosecutors, scouring his past for evidence to convict a person they don't like or don't understand. This can make for bad history and unsatisfying biography. Young Castro challenges listeners to put aside the caricature of a bearded, cigar-munching, anti-American hot head to discover how Castro became the dictator who acted as a thorn in the side of U.S. presidents for nearly half a century. The first American historian in a generation to gain access to the Castro archives in Havana, Jonathan Hansen was able to secure cooperation from Castro's family and closest confidants, gaining access to hundreds of never-before-seen letters and interviews. The result is a nuanced and penetrating portrait of a figure who was determined to be a leader-a man at once brilliant, arrogant, bold, vulnerable, and all too human. A man who, having grown up on an island that felt like a colonial cage, was compelled to lead his country to independence.
“A gripping and edifying narrative… Hansen brings imposing research and notable erudition to this account of Fidel Castro's early life”
* Booklist *
“A nuanced portrait of a complex young man… Hansen fills out personal details and adds new layers of complexity to a life whose narrative has often been shaped and manipulated to serve the purposes of the Cuban Revolution.” * ReVista, the Harvard Review of Latin America *
“An engaging, astute character study. A welcome addition to the literature of Castro and Cuba.” * Kirkus Reviews *
“Sure to become the standard on Castro’s early life.” * Publishers Weekly *
* Booklist *
“A nuanced portrait of a complex young man… Hansen fills out personal details and adds new layers of complexity to a life whose narrative has often been shaped and manipulated to serve the purposes of the Cuban Revolution.” * ReVista, the Harvard Review of Latin America *
“An engaging, astute character study. A welcome addition to the literature of Castro and Cuba.” * Kirkus Reviews *
“Sure to become the standard on Castro’s early life.” * Publishers Weekly *
Jonathan M. Hansen is a senior lecturer at Harvard University and the author of Guantánamo: An American History and The Lost Promise of Patriotism: Debating American Identity, 1890-1920. His writing has been published in The New York Times, Huffington Post, and The Guardian, among other places. His most recent book is Young Castro: The Making of a Revolutionary.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781476732473 |
| ISBN 10 | 1476732477 |
| Title | Young Castro |
| Author | Jonathan M Hansen |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year published | 2019-07-11 |
| Number of pages | 512 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |