Published Thu August 07, 2008 by Publisher in Cuba Politics.
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Several Havana Cuba book reviews
Havana Nocturne
Here is a summary from the book as posted in the Wall Street Journal. I have my copy sitting here ready to be read. The titles of the chapters are intriguing… The Mob’s Playground, Gambler’s Paradise, A Bullet for El Presidente, Carnival of Flesh and Get The Money.
It’s just under 400 pages detailing the dreams, real estate development and control of Cuba by the mob and Fidel Castro’s July 26 movement. There’s even the allegation that John F Kennedy has a crazy orgy with three women in Cuba.
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Havana Before Castro
I have already read through this book… not too hard to do since it has hundreds and hundreds of photos and scans of Cuban memorabilia. How about these chapter titles… Sugar, Rum and Cigars, Havana between the World Wars, Tropicana, Cuba’s Incredible Music Scene, Habana Riveria and Habana Hilton and many more.
If you like Cuban history and/or Cuban memorabilia and/or modern architecture and/or stories about the mob and business in Cuba, this book is for you. Over sized, horizontal format with more than 250 full color pages. This book gets you right back to Havana before Castro. If you want to read a much better book review, try this one from the Wall Street Journal.
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Find Havana Before Castro on Amazon
Havana Deco
This is a fantastic coffee table book featuring well researched text and photos on a variety of topics such as:
Edificio Bacardi
Hotel Nacional
Edificio Lopez Serrano
Suburban Havana homes along with many photos of architectural accents
Centro Habana
Cuban cinemas
El Vedado
Hospitals and Churches
Interiors like bathrooms, lobbies and Cuban Furniture
Visual arts like poster and magazine graphics, paintings and sculptures
So, if you enjoy art deco and mid century modern in general, this is a great book. If you love Havana before Castro, this book is a tribute to the pre-Castro days of Havana.
Havana - Then and Now
Even though this is an older book published in 2004, it is still very relevant. Every page features an antique photo of a particular building or street scene next to a current photo from the same angle. So, this book is a visual comparison of today in Havana to days gone by. There are photos of every landmark you can think of in Havana.
Find Havana - Then and Now on eBay
Find Havana - Then and Now on Amazon
The Bay of Pigs
This book was sent to me by the Publisher. This is an extremely detailed account of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion orchestrated by JFK. The author “draws upon recently released CIA documents, research from the John F. Kennedy Library and details from the Church Committee hearings. He offers an engaging and thoughtful account of the turning point in Kennedy’s foreign policy.” Just over 200 pages.
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On Sun August 17, 2008, Publisher wrote:
Another great review about Cuba Before Castro. I am just about finished reading Havana Nocturne and I strongly recommend reading both books together.
This way you can understand that culture from 1950s Cuba and the Mob’s construction efforts and nightclubs.