The History of Havana

Reviews / Votes

"Serious but easily readable. History of Havana employs conventional documentary, written and visual sources and a variety of testimonials from throughout the world to bring to life the complex portraits and challenges of contemporary Havana - a historical crossroad of the New World, a stage of scenic architecture, rhythmic sound-scapes, remarkable artistic genius, foreign invasions, struggles for personal and national freedom and independence - today a vibrant, complex world-renowned city, in a new global moment, creating its future in the throes of the fall of the Soviet Union, the lure and hooks of tourism, natural disasters, and the challenges of Empire." - Harry Belafonte, Singer, Actor, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador "What a wonderful read! Dick Cluster and Rafael Hernandez' stories read like late night conversations on a dark, humid Havana terrace: marvelous, sly and frequently incredible. And that's the real kick, because they're meticulously researched, smoothly well-chosen and arranged. This is a history that feels more like literature: palpable, personal, full of secrets revealed and the occasional, and necessary, melancholia." - Achy Obejas, author of Days of Awe "Gorgeous, feisty, savvy, cosmopolitan, sexy, defiant and yes, at times decadent and decaying, yet always resilient and ribald, battered repeatedly but never beaten - the city of Havana, where everyone deserves to have been born, is the star of this loving, gritty history. The authors lead the reader from Columbus_ stumbling into Cuba in his quest for the Orient in the fifteenth century to our own decade. They tell the story of Havana_s people, their physical space, their welcoming and unwelcome encounters with foreigners, and their capacity for re-invention. It_s a great read." - Jorge I. Dominguez, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Harvard University "This riveting and highly readable historical document is bittersweet. 'Bitter' in that throughout the history of Havana, weather, wars, and economic strangulation have forced this great city to periodically deteriorate. 'Sweet' in the seemingly infinite optimism and sense of humor of its citizens and even sweeter because the city will rise again and reclaim its proper place amongst the great urban centers of the world." - James Stewart Polshek, Architect of The Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History "History of Havana by Rafael Hernandez and Dick Cluster invites general readers to enter and experience modern-day Havana as the product of its past. They will find a city whose citizens developed and changed in moments of revelry and times of crisis, responding to local history and world history, and making history as well. This diverse population negotiated when possible, fought when required, and sought to imagine and sustain revolutionary visions and life-ways of new men and women." - Danny Glover, Actor and Activist "This colorful work explains the singular allure of Havana ... What makes it compelling is how effectively Cluster and Hernandez convey the personality of the city." - Chicago Sun-Times "In fine prose, with academic rigor, clarity that shows respect for the reader, and a good dose of lyricism, the co-authors serve us up the trajectory of the Cuban capital." - Diario Las Americas "This is a very good book...a rich and readable social and cultural history, which incorporates popular culture - film and radio, dance music and popular religion - to weave a historical tapestry as beguiling as a Havana night." - History Book Club "This beautifully written, reliably informative, and extremely sensitive account provides a delightful examination across time of the extraordinary human dimensions of an extraordinary people." - F. W. Knight, Choice