This is an extraordinary memoir from a man who was born a slave on a plantation in Cuba circa 1860. Montejo came to the attention of Barnet because of a 1963 newspaper article celebrating Cubans who were over 100 years old. Barnet began interviewing Montejo at the Veteran’s Home, and later transcribed those interviews into this book. It covers at most the first 40 years of Montejo’s life, ending shortly after Cuba won independence from Spain.

I was almost immediately reminded of the stories my grandfather (and later my father) would tell about his youthful escapades; this is no doubt a result of Barnet having transcribed Montejo’s oral storytelling. I particularly enjoyed his memories of living by his wits in the jungle forests after escaping slavery. He outlines the ways he found (or made) shelter, food, and healing plants. Montejo also gives us a lot of his own personal philosophy – how he judges the people he meets, why he keeps his own counsel, opinions on Spaniards, Americans and Catholic priests. He recounts the legends and foundations of various African, Creole or Canary Island religions, and explains how to avoid curses, ghosts, witches, and demons. He is an astute judge of character and is brutally honest about the virtues and vices of people he encountered during these years. Some of his political observations ring just as true about today’s situations as about Cuba in the late 19th century. And he is open about the brutalities of war as well.

Having read this memoir, I wish I could have met this man … who learned to read at age 108 so he could read the book! (He lived to the age of 113.)
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