CFKr1

Young Adult Book Reviews
YACUBA Yahoo Group

** October 1 --Just launched...We will be adding more and more in the coming weeks and months.

Cuba4Kids
Professional Reviews of Children's Books

A Public Service by FREADOM

R=Recommended Q= Qualified Recommendation NR=Not Recommended
(Biographies of our current reviewers)

R	Roger E. Hernández “CUBA” Philadelphia : Mason Crest Publishers, c2004. ISBN: 1590842987 63 p. : col. ill., col. map ; 21 cm. Hernandez chronicles Cuba's history from Columbus's landing when he reputedly exclaimed that Cuba was, "the most beautiful land ever beheld," [which serves as the title to the introductory chapter] through to Fidel Castro. In an easy to follow format each of the five concisely written chapters is further subdivided. For instance, the second chapter is divided into "Conquest and Colonization," "War of Independence," "The Republican Era," and "The Castro Era." Each overview is refreshingly balanced. Hernandez does not fall into the same pitfall of other authors of uncritically repeating Cuban government soundbites; as an example, we are told that the regime impoved literacy, housing and healthcare, but we are, also, reminded that "Cuba was among the most advanced nations in the region even before Castro," with a rate of literacy, infant mortality, food consumption, and ownership of cars, telephones, or televison sets that placed the young nation statistically among the top three or four countries in Latin America. This historical and balanced perspective will serve the young reader well as he or she ciphers through the polarized information that one often hears about Cuba. The chapters that follow are: 3] "A Stuggling Economy," 4] "Joy in Life: Cuba's Culture and People," and 5] Cuba's Cities. Each chapter is fully illustrated with relevant and colorful photographs that further draws in the reader. Included is a calender of Cuban Festivals, receipes, a glossary, two pages with ideas for projects and reports, a chronology of Cuban historical events, a section for further reading and an index. Geared towards middle school aged children. It is highly recommended for schools and libraries. Reviewed by Radames Suarez, Queens Public Library, NY.
NR	Wolf, Bernard CUBA: AFTER THE REVOLUTION New York : Dutton Children's Books, 1999 ISBN: 0525460586 1 v. (unpaged) : chiefly col. ill. ; 22 x 27 cm. Gr. 4-6-Wolf states the stage for what's to follow with a two page introductory of Cuba's history. From the opening line: "only ninety miles of ocean separate Havana, Cuba's capital city, from the United States, the world's sole superpower and Cuba's only powerful political adversary," he hammers in repeatedly that the U.S. is to blame for this otherwise idyllic [and that is the impression one gets] island's problems. In an effort to always depict Cuba in the most positive way possible, Wolf is patronizing and some would even argue unwittingly racist as, the entire book is dotted with pictures of smiling mulatto and black Cuban's described as "warm, intelligent, and handsome people" who over the centuries "evolved into a "rich, interracial mix." They "endure shortages of particularly everything...without losing pride and dignity--or their enjoyment of simple pleasures." The obvious comparison with Walt Disney's "Song of the South," and its enduring character, the smiling, happy-go-lucky slave, Uncle Remus, is unavoidable. The last half of the book is about a day in the life of 12 year old Ana Moreira an aspiring ballerina and the daughter of two distinguished and politically integrated Cuban artists. Ana is hardly typical, although she is presented as such. The overwhelming fault with this book is that the author allows his obvious admiration of the Cuban Revolution to get in the way of writing the facts. Not recommended. Reviewed by Radames Suarez

NR	Yip, Dora Welcome to Cuba 48p.:col.ill, col. maps; 27cm Includes bibliographical references [p.47] and index Milwaukee, Wis. : Gareth Stevens Pub., c2001. ISBN: 0836825160 (hbk.): $23.93 Ages 5-9. Dora Yip's "Welcome to Cuba" is beautifully illustrated, but is essentially nothing more than pro-Castro propaganda. For instance, we are told on page 12 of this seriously flawed book that from 1902 to 1959, Cuba was run by corrupt dictators, but, that in February 1959, Fidel Castro became Cuba's prime minister. This seems to suggest that unlike his predecessors, Castro is not a corrupt dictator. The fact is that Cuba had democratically elected presidents including her first president, Tomas Estrada Palma [1902-06], who is remembered for his honesty, José Miguel Gómez [1909 to 1913], Aurelio Mario Garcia Menocal [1913 to 1921], Alfredo Zayas Alfonso [1921 to 1925], even Gerardo Machado y Morales [1925 to 1933] was originally democratically elected though he later became a brutal dictator, Ramón Grau San Martin [1944-48] and Carlos Prío Socarrás [1948-52]. On page 16 we read: "the government controls the economy, but citizens have the right to elect representatives to government. Made up of 589 elected members, the National Assembly of the People's Power is responsible for making laws and it elects the thirty-one members of the executive State Council." Thus, a patina of legitimacy is placed on the longest existing dictatorship in the world, as if elections in present day Cuba are somehow honest, while the past is uniformly vilified. Essentially, the book is full of errors. On page 30, we are told that Cuban artists are fully supported by the government. Essentially, this is a half-truth, since only Cuban artists who produce "revolutionary art" are supported by the government, those that don't go to prison. Absurd statements abound including the most egregious: "with social class differences and capitalism gone, Cuban interests have changed from wanting to make money to wanting to excel in other areas, such as education and athletics." This is in a country where the black market flourishes and where doctors are known to moonlight as prostitutes in order to make extra money. This book is factually misleading and is definitely not recommended for schools or libraries. Reviewed by Radames Suarez
NR	Ancona, George. Cuban Kids. New York: Marshall Cavendish, c2000. 40 p.: ill. col. map: 21 x26 cm. ISBN: 0-7614-5077-7 15.95 While photographer George Ancona's "Cuban Kids" provides its young readers with colorful and lively photographs of Cuba's people and her landscape, it fails to provide them with an unbiased report of life inside Cuba. For instance, the author mentions the word "embargo" at least three times in a 40 page book and alludes repeatedly to the hardships that he says that the American embargo imposes on the Cuban people, but never mentions that these same people live under the longest surviving dictatorship in the world. On January 1st, 2007, it will be 48 years long. Surely, that is an important fact that any American child hoping to learn about Cuba should know. Why this omission? It's not politicizing or pontificating to mention this, it's just a reality integral to the understanding of life inside Cuba, pure and simple. "Cuba Kids" is both subtle and overt propaganda. Subtle, because the photographs depict a country of abundance, a fact that any Cuban rafter escaping Cuba will testify is not true, and overt because Mr. Ancona constantly repeats government sound bites about "hunger," "illiteracy," "sickness," and "racism" before Castro by contrast with Cuba today where all of this has been presumably eradicated, or at least would we think from reading this book. This book which is for children up to 7th grade is not recommended for schools or libraries. Reviewed by Radames Suarez