Ignacio Ramonet

Very surprising book. I'm not a fan of the Cuban politics and not generally a fan of politicians' biographies, but Fidel Castro, regardless of any disagreements I might have with him, is apparently an interesting person. There is much I didn't know about the past and present situation in Cuba, and while of course everything in such a book should be taken with a grain of salt, an important part of a political leader is the way they choose to present themselves to the world. And Fidel Castro show more turned out to be quite different than I expected from the mainstream media.

I think everyone with an interest in politics who does not know Cuba beyond what western media says, should read this book and get a taste of the other side of the story. It won't "convert" you to the other side, but it will give you a more complete picture. show less

I rather like this reworking of the idea of a biography. Instead of an enhanced timeline: George Smith was born on... and ..., this is based upon approximately 100 hours of discussions between the author and the subject.

Hearing Fidel Castro's own views is fascinating. One has to accept that the final text was checked by him before publication, but even so, the person who comes out of this story is a warm hearted man acting for the betterment of the people of Cuba. It is strange that the USA show more talks so much about freedom, but only gives the freedom to follow its lead. As soon as any person/country wants freedom, they must be exterminated. show less

For years people have tried to persuade the leader of the Cuban Revolution to tell his own life story. Here, finally, Ignacio Ramonet, well-known activist and editor of Le Monde Diplomatique, has succeeded. For the first time, in a series of probing interviews, Fidel Castro describes his life, from the 1950s all the way up to the present day. He discusses his parents, his earliest influences, the beginnings of the revolution, his relationship with Che Guevara, the Bay of Pigs, the Carter show more years, Cuban migration to the US. And along the way, Ramonet challenges Castro to discuss his views on a number of controversial questions, from human rights and freedom of the press to the repression of homosexuality and the survival of the death penalty, and he gives his opinion of other leaders, alive and dead, including George Bush and Tony Blair. show less

I ran into a wall halfway through this. It was very readable and interesting and I think it is very important to get perspectives from outside America on things we accept as black and white as we do Cuba, but I need more context about the country's history before I know what to do with words from someone in power in it.