Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Before the Revolution by Mario Cartaya is a historical account of Cuba that traces the island from Spanish rule through independence and into the republic created at the beginning of the twentieth century. José Martí emerges as a defining voice in the independence movement before Spanish rule ends and Cuba begins governing itself. From there, Cartaya follows the unusually close relationship that develops with the United States, showing how cooperation between the two countries reaches far beyond diplomacy and enters ordinary Cuban life. That friendship continues across generations despite changing governments, giving the island a pre-Castro story that is rarely presented in such a continuous way. Cartaya carries the account of the rise of Fidel Castro, when the political relationship that had defined a century of Cuban-American history began to break apart.

Mario Cartaya’s Before the Revolution is fascinating, and what I enjoyed most is how Cartaya makes a century of Cuban-American history feel close to the reader. His research is extensive, yet the writing is easy to understand, so I could comfortably follow a long political story and still keep sight of the people who lived inside it. What’s especially good is the way Cartaya connects documented history to places that still exist in Cuba, giving the book a wonderfully accessible sense of continuity, like the former Hershey company. Cartaya explains how Milton Hershey created a sugar community linked by railway, then brings in his own family connection to the town before showing readers what remains there today. Cartaya is also excellent when his own memories sit beside the research. His family’s blue-and-white 1957 Ford proves why that approach is so effective, since he later returns to Havana and finds cars from the same era still moving through the city. The photographs are a superb addition and readers interested in Cuba before Castro are in for a treat. Very highly recommended.