Havana: Autobiography of a City - Softcover

Alfredo José Estrada was the editor-in-chief of Vista magazine, which is distributed in over thirty newspapers and is the largest publication for U.S. Hispanics in the country. Born in Havana and educated at Harvard, he lives in Austin, Texas.

“A pleasure for the armchair traveler and old Cuba hands alike.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“As much a tale of tobacco, sugar, and slaves, this delightful account leaves no stone unturned and reveals fascinating historical insights. Estrada's chapters on Ernest Hemingway in Havana and social life during the casino/mobster era are pure gems. He spares neither expansionist U.S. policies nor Fidel Castro's socialism from blame for Cuba's present state. Highly recommended.” ―Library Journal (starred review)

“Estrada is at his best chronicling Castro's revolution, a story which for many Americans is a virtual unknown; Estrada's retelling is brief, fair-minded and very well-written. Estrada pays particular attention to the Che Guevara 'hardly guessed at by those wearing Che tank tops,' revealing Guevara's authoritarian streak, his talent for guerilla warfare and his direct role in the executions of the day...a fine primer on the United States' closest 'enemy,' told with the love of a native son.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A captivating travelogue...Visitors to the island should take it along to read during their trip.” ―The Washington Post

“A readable history, full of rich anecdotes and the nation's...political saga. And though he wanders from one end of the island to the other, Estrada keeps retuning to Havana, that decayed though still intoxicating city that continues to seduce. She--always La Habana--is our great love.” ―Enrique Fernandez, The Miami Herald

“Estrada weaves a gripping narrative that moves seamlessly between the hagiography of these heroes and the Havana of their time. Havana is one part travelogue to two parts history, with the origins of the city's docks, streets and buildings combined with impressions of Havana today (and some of those same streets and buildings)...A wonderful slice of how Cuba remembers itself.” ―Noam Lupu, The San Francisco Chronicle

“An objective modern history of Cuba is as hard to find in American today as a Cuban cigar, but somehow Alfredo José Estrada has managed to smuggle Havana: Autobiography of a City past customs...(it) brings America's closest enemy close enough that it may begin to look like a friend.” ―Mark Pettus, Florida Times-Union

“[Havana is] an experience that's more like dining out with a formidably knowledgeable Havana-phile, than it is like perusing a book. Full of entertaining digressions ranging the grand and sweeping scope of the city's history, Estrada's account of Havana is not without nuggets of wry humor as he takes the measure of its most essential characters and events.” ―Hispanic Magazine