A fable, a diatribe, a biography - there's a little bit of everything in this slim little book, and all of it so richly written that it evokes incredible imagery.

'Stories of Politics' and 'Stories of Whimsy' is the dividing line between the different collections of tales, historical tid-bits, and concrete poetry that make up this book. In the Politics side are stories that bring back the origins of the queer movement, and tell the tale of the first 'Freedom Flag' (what we now call the 'Pride Flag,' and its grandparents, and prior ideas). These were stories I found interesting, and certainly educational in a way that - as always - gives me nothing but admiration for those who came before me and didn't even have the slight rights and concessions I sneered at as merely 'a inadequate poor start.'

The Whimsy writings were just plain fun. Werewolf fables, and stories of grandmothers and granddaughters passing along holy swords, and other such delightful stuff as to make one smile. A nice reminder of how much I enjoy magic realism, I'll definitely have to take these stories as an omen to go find me some more C. Whitefeather Daniels.

'Nathan

It is difficult for me to be objective, as I know Whitefeather personally, but as you read this book, her amazing words shines out at you from the pages. She manages to say all of the "expected" things(such as live each day as your last) in the most unexpected ways. She has a full understanding that life is not always fun, not always happy, and most of all not always easy.

Once you start reading Rebel Without applause you will no be able to put the book down.

10 Fingers and Toes up!

Tim Wendel's "Castro's Curveball" scores one for originality.

Taking either a common myth or a known fact about Fidel Castro's prospect as a baseball player, Mr. Wendel puts his readers into the heart felt journey of an old man's past; a past full of regret, remorse and lost love. A past, that with the help of his daughter Cassy, Billy Bryan may finally be able to put to rest.

As a old man, Billy Bryan will regret ever meeting the famed revolutionary Fidel. Especially when he has to revisit his memories of a lost love named Malena, and his glory days of playing "America's favorite pastime" in a country that is the antithesis of all that is pure, and free. But soon a change occurs. It is a change, much like real life, that comes with the help of others. Mr. Wendel makes us see that the things we most often dislike and oversee in life awake us to the good times we failed to enjoy and observe.

Mr. Wendel's goal for writing this book was, "What if?" What if Castro did try and go on to become a major league baseball player in the United States? Given that we have little or no information about him doing so, I think Mr. Wendel does a good job of offering us a possible outcome.

With lucid prose, a strong plot and intriguing characters, Tim Wendel makes "Castro's Curveball" a good catch!

Mr. Wendel has certainly driven one deep. This book is a great read, both in its storyline and also in Mr. Wendel's depiction of the Cuba that was, a delicious mix of beauty, deception, and unrest that would soon boil over and destroy the nation. Mr. Wendel does a great job in giving us Billy Bryan's perspective- a seventy-plus year old man, educated by the world and its cruel lessons. His narrative is simple, yet very insightful, and it struck a nerve. The baseball scenes are on the money, and Billy's true love, Malena, shows just enough of herself to make the reader want to know more. Castro,despite what others have said, gets about as much character analysis and development as he needs. Can anyone say "opportunist"? We see his type every day in the news. Again, Mr. Wendel has done a great job.

Tim Wendel is an excellent writer. I am not a baseball fanatic, but I certainly had more of an appreciation for the game after reading this well written, intriguing book. The writer's passion for baseball oozes out of every page. He also gives the reader an interesting tour of Cuba --its culture, history, politics, landscape and love of baseball. The whole premise of the book is creative and imaginative. Wendel is successful in making the reader believe that Fidel Castro really did had a wicked curveball that could have landed him in a major league baseball career if he hadn't been such a die-hard revolutionary. It was interesting to see an author tackle the challenge of writing a book of fiction about a current political figure like Fidel Castro. I will closely follow Tim Wendel's writing career and will be eager to read his next book.

Any one who is interested in Cuba, or more specifically why and how the Cuban Revolution continues to survive, anyone interested in the future of humanity, or in the ideas ( unlike the myth )of Che Guevara -- you should start with this book.This book explains why the invasion of " Cuban exile" mercenaries at the Bay Of Pigs was not a "fiasco" : it was a military and political defeat of the Yankee Empire. This book shows vividly that the ordinary Cuban working men and women and farmers who fought and died at the Bay Of Pigs to defend their new-won independence did so for the sake of their own and their children's future : a Cuba free of Yankee domination and plundering for profits.The authors -- Fidel Castro and Che Guevara among them-- explain the ideas of the new socialist Cuba and the fight for new and better humans to change themselves that were the power behind the people behind the guns (and planes )that defeated the invaders at Playa Giro`n/ Bay Of Pigs. The ideas as a guide to action that have helped socialist Cuba survive it's toughest times in the 90s.And survive today as an example of what humans can do to begin to build a human society.

The book also describes how the activities against the invasion by a group of students at a small Midwestern college changed them forever--and convinced them to devote their lives to making a revolution like the Cubans made --here in the belly of the imperial beast.

If you are repelled by the barbaric effects of the "globalization" of the market system and its worship of the Almighty Dollar -- and you want to do something about making an end of it once and for all -- do yourself a favor and read this book.

I first read this book the first day of beach season. Instead of spending time in the water, I just sat there and read this book until it was too dark to read. This account is an activist account of the fight from Cuban and US fighters who see and saw the US invasion and resistance in Cuba and the United States not as history to be deciphered but part of an ongoing struggle against imperialism, against war, and for the power of working people. I never stopped caring; I never stopped seeing what was hidden from me in 1961, I never stopped seeing lessons for the future. A good read.

Playa Giron/Bay Of Pigs: Washington's First Military Defeat In The Americas offers detailed and authoritative information on the historic and ill-fated invasion of Cuba by U.S.-backed forces popularly referred to as the Bay of Pigs. Included are three contemporary speeches by Fidel Castro informing and rallying the Cuban people and describing to the socialist character of the revolution. Jose Ramon Fernandez (today a vice president of Cuba) was at the time of the military incursion, the commander of the main column of Cuban forces which successfully repelled the CIA-organized and American supplied forces at Playa Giron. Highly recommended reading for students of Cuban and American international studies and history, the informative text is enhanced with more than two dozen maps and charts, dozens of photographs, a chronology of events, a glossary, and an index.

This is the third "visual quickstart" book I've purchased, and probably the last. After reading it I still didn't feel like I had a decent grasp of XML. I then went and purchased "XML in a Nutshell" by O'Reilly, which does a much better job of explaining XML, despite being more technical.

In general, the visual quickstart books try and teach you by example, without explaining the necessary background theory. They try to "dumb down" the material for the reader, which is a bad thing in my opinion for something like a computer or markup language. They are adequate for getting quickly up to speed with a topic for something like a high school assignment, if your interest in the technology is only for the short term. If you are going to use what you are reading for real world projects however, these books are not adequate, you will feel like you have wasted your money. I also did not feel that the author had a solid grasp of the material, in contrast to the authors of the O'Reilly book.

The O'Reilly books for example explain WHY things are the way they are, and in a far more clear manner too. Plus, they make much better reference books. Basically, there are a lot of junk books out there, and trying to find decent ones is hard.

In conclusion, get this book if you are very short on $$$ and need to cram some knowledge for the short term. Get a decent book if you need to learn XML for real projects, and want a good reference book too.

I was very impressed with the author's 'HTML for the World Wide Web: Visual QuickStart Guide,' so I started 'XML for the World Wide Web' with great enthusiasm. The opening chapters were clear, concise, and easy to follow. Unfortunately, as the book continued, I found the examples more difficult to decipher. There are two web sites supporting the book, but I found neither site answered my questions to any degree of satisfaction. The examples used are poorly explained, much to my surprise. I would suggest tracking down tutorial sites on the web as a primary source of information instead of starting with this text.

Elizabeth Castro's Book is written in a very clear and precise style. She doesn't attempt to explain absolutely everything about XML - it shows you how to write and then put XML into web pages, which she covers very thoroughly; if you want any more detailed info such as ASP and XML, the DOM etc. go buy those thick tomes that deal with those topics specifically.

This book was perfect for my needs. I have been reading snippets all over the web about XML for months now but nowhere had enough detail - this book takes you through how to set out your information and then put it up.

Even though this is an area of "shifting sands" in terms of finalised standards she is bang up to date.

There is no doubt that XML is going to be the NBT (Next Big Thing) - get in there at ground level and read this book.

If you want an excellent introductory yet very practical primer this is ideal.

Leon Cych

Fair, balanced and meticulously researched, Paterson's "Contesting Castro" nonetheless misses the author's stated goals, and while a recommended read, is ultimately unsatisfying. A comprehensive beginning, which outlines the thesis that an understanding of the US/Cuban relationship following Castro's revolution must be predicated on an understanding of the incidents and dynamic of the revolution itself, and offers a concise explanation of the multitude of factors which fuelled the insurrection, eventually becomes mired in an almost day-by-day description of the revolution which, while interesting in its own right, fails to offer much insight into the US/Cuba dynamic. The narrative, at times, also becomes muddled, with the chronology occasionally jumping around confusingly. Paterson's final summation occupies less than a couple of pages, and in this case, brevity does not offer clarity, but only a complete lack of explanation. There is no analysis of why Castro eventually became an ardent communist (even though a major portion of the book is devoted, to the point of distraction, to showing that the stance of Castro and the Movement of July 26th was not primarily communist (a contention which increasingly absurd as the book continues)); this glaring oversight leads only to frustration at the entire project. If seeking a diary of the Cuban revolution, albeit through the lens of US/Cuba relations (to the exclusion of other multilateral relationships), this serves the purpose; if seeking an overarching explanation of the modern US/Cuba détente, this book provides no more than a starting point from which further research can be undertaken.

This is a thorough, well-researched, ubiased work, yet it is terribly one-sided. Paterson describes the events of the Cuban Revolution only within the context of United States involvement. He fails to acknowledge or highlight important social movements occurring within Cuba during the revolutionary period. "Contesting Castro" offers particularly insightful analysis into the American role during events of the Sierra Maestra campaign (1956-59), but lacks an in depth discussion of the periods preceeding or following the triumph the July 26 Movement. Nevertheless, Patterson's work is a fine account of American-Cuban relations during the Cuban Revolution.

Contesting Castro is a book crucial to the understanding of the political history of Cuba. The author takes a stance not typical to most written on the subject,one of independence,free of the left-bashing not uncommon when reading of Cuba. Unbaised, well documented, and factually correct, this text offers a view of the events leading to, and during the revloution of 1959, free of any political bias by the author. This book is essential to the reader who wants a complete picture of the actions taken to stop the spread of communism and protect US business intrests. The events described help the reader understand US forigen policy action in recent years as well.

If you're seeking to learn how to write scripts, this isn't the book that will teach you. It is a guide only to basically understand Perl and CGI (what certain groups of characters mean, how it basically works). It is a beginner's book, but learn html before you buy it. Early in the book Castro uses terms (w/o any explanations) that only someone familiar with code might understand. The more you know html before reading this book, the better.
Even after reading it, you still won't be able to write a script on your own. You should be able to use others' scripts though. Although there is no CGI/Perl reference/glossary in the book, it is well-organized and most of the language is simple and easy to understand for the average reader. However, if your vocabularly is a little weak, keep a dictionary on hand. The book is certainly something you should have in your library, but don't be misled as to what it provides.

I just completed a class on writing CGI scripts with Perl, and although this was not part of the reading list for the class, nevertheless it's what I used to actually learn what I needed to know. This is NOT a book about learning Perl. It is about writing CGI scripts using Perl. You'll get a decent introduction to Perl syntax and Castro will move you right into applying it to writing CGI scripts, primarily for handling forms. I'm not aware of any other book that gives you exactly what you need (if this is what you're looking for) in such a nice, compact introduction. The "visual" part of the book (the pictures the previous reviewer is lamenting the absence of), is really just simple "screenshot"-like figures showing what Netscape or Explorer would look like given the particular exercise being explained. No, there are no big color pictures in here, but it's really not necessary. Prior knowledge of HTML is recommended, but not absolutely necessary as the author spends some time explaining the HTML syntax behind forms.

I purchased this book a few days ago. Since then I have finished the book and I can effectively grasp the concept of Perl programming. I would have been really satisfied if the author spent more time explaining some more Unix basics. She spent most of her time assuming that you used an ISP Web Provider that gives you UNIX shell access and allows Perl/CGI scripts.

All I want is to install a quick Linux workstation onto my LAN at home and create a sort of personal Intranet so I can practice Perl scripts without needing an ISP yet. I'd really appreciate it if someone knew of something SIMPLE (like this book) but explained in detail how to set up UNIX (preferably Linux--it's free) on a workstation and how to install Perl. There were a few errors in this book, but nothing that I can really say is worth crying over. I started reading this book saying to myself that I won't understand any of it and I'm happy to report that I understood it rather well. The visual pictures of the HTML and Perl scripts helped a lot.

My recommendation: If you want to know how to use CGI scripts with Perl but have no idea where to start, then I suggest buying this book. Where to go after that, however, is still a mystery...

Some of the other reviewers for this book have forgotten that no book exists independently of its author's experience. Unless one has preconceived notions about how life in Cuba "should be" rather than how it is, the mere fact that Ms. Moses lived in Cuba as a U.S. government employee is neither to her credit nor her discredit. Much more significant is the fact that Ms. Moses provides a perspective few Americans are able to have. It is ridiculously cynical (and even sensational) to suggest that Ms. Moses is simply spouting a "party line" - certainly she hoped for more cogent, astute readers. It is much more reasonable to assume that her book is a reflection of her honest experience, rather than an homage to her "bias."

It is worth noting that this book is a useful first glance, yet hardly sufficient pre-trip reading for anyone planning a trip to Cuba. As a university Spanish professor who leads student trips to Cuba on a fairly regular basis, I do recommend it to student participants as pre-trip reading, but balanced with some other types of analysis, such as Jane Franklin's "Cuba and the United States: A Chronological History," which is decidedly more "pro-Cuban" (sold freely in Cuba, incidentally).

Only by taking a balanced approach to Cuban issues can anyone hope to unravel the intricacies of Cuban society and U.S.-Cuban relations. Does any one book give a complete and accurate picture? Of course not. Does Moses' book capture the honest experience of an American living in Havana at an interesting time in history? Most definitely.

Having read portions of this book while on a recent visit to Havana, I was a bit disappointed by the difference between Moses' words and my own daily experience. This may be a helpful book to read for anyone looking for a general sense of Cuban culture, but it can't be read as an accurate documentation of Cuban reality, and Moses' perspective and motivations must be kept in mind at all times.

For all of her denouncing of the Cuban "party line," Moses doesn't stray far from the U.S. government's policy, which is to be expected - she worked at the U.S. Interests Section during 1995 and 1996. One thing worth remembering of that period compared to the current day is that the Cuban economic situation has somewhat improved since Moses' experience - though the "Special Period" instituted at the fall of the U.S.S.R. has not officially ended, the worst has passed for the moment. Of course, there's no denying that Cuba is economically depressed, and extremely so - but Moses' portrayal of Cuban life is a bit exaggerated for Cuba in 2001.

Moses may favor ending the embargo, but only as a means of encouraging free exchange of U.S. anti-Castro publications and the market-dominating manufactured goods of consumerism. She consistently downplays the severe economic effects of the U.S. embargo (rightly called a "blockade" by Cubans - it's more international than bilateral), instead blaming the ever-popular failure of socialism. She should notice that this "failure" has produced systems of health care and education that the U.S. has yet failed to imitate. Never does she acknowledge that perhaps the U.S. could learn something from Cuba, only seeing the great wisdoms of capitalism that tourists and U.S. propaganda might distribute.

To be sure, Moses' perspective of Cuban life is not fully wrong, nor direct U.S. propaganda - but just because she has the freedom to separate her opinion from U.S. policy doesn't mean she does. She's right that the Castro regime is fundamentally flawed and denies many liberties, but she would do well to put these elements of Cuban life into perspective - instances of the U.S. government cracking down on dissent and violating human rights may be less publicized, but no less significant.

While Moses certainly learned a great deal in her time in Cuba and tells her experience honestly, she never fully escapes the paternalistic condescension so common to U.S. "Imperialists." Perhaps an accompanying "Real Life in Bush's United States" would put some perspective on this book, but failing that, a reader would do well to find a more genuinely Cuban perspective - my tourism guide was more balanced than this, and even Cuban government propaganda would make a decent counter-point to Moses' limited thinking. Do not expect an objective opinion from an agent of the "Empire," and you won't be disappointed.

Reading the long-time review-of-the-day by Ms. Abbey, I find myself wondering if she read the same book I did. In each instance, her criticism is diametrically opposed to my perception of the book's intent and content. I did not see Ms. Moses showing "naïve judgment of the successes of the revolution." Rather, I read a deeply personal description of "los Cubanos." This is not a political work. Ms. Moses has chosen to not condemn governments, but to depict with crystal clarity the day-to-day struggles faced by those who would continue to live in Cuba.

I certainly did not find her comparisons between life in Cuba and in the USA chauvinistic. Furthermore, I consider Ms. Abbey's suggestion of comparing Cuba to other Caribbean or Latin American countries intellectual snobbery. If one is trying to bring home to a lay readership the realities of Cuban life, one doesn't compare it to an equally foreign standard. For example, if I want to convey to American readers how much an item costs a German, I convert the price to US currency, not that of neighboring EU-mate Austria. This is not an example of American economic egocentrism. It is merely ensuring that the reader understands the writer. Ms. Moses compares Cuba to America because that is the standard Americans know.

Regarding the embargo, again I do not believe Ms. Moses discounted its impact. She did not blame the deprivation of Cubans on the embargo, but neither did she blame it on Cuban governmental mismanagement. She described conditions with a minimum of editorializing, either pro- or anti-Castro. (While I can only speculate, rather than a defense of US policy, I read opposition to the embargo "between the lines" of her writing.)

I was not surprised by her reaction to the Cuban government's treatment of gifts of books and printed materials from the US Interests Section. Once I recognized the obvious affection Ms. Moses holds for Cubans (which Ms. Abbey acknowledges), I saw hurt in her reaction to their rejection. Whether Ms. Moses is old enough to remember Red Scare days is not important since her reaction is not revulsion to a political ideology. It is the hurt felt by a friend when a gift is rejected. Yes, that may be a trifle naïve given her official position, but it is nonetheless admirable. Would that all US diplomats felt so toward their assigned countries.

Ms. Abbey's review seems to come from a belief that a book on Cuba that fails to condemn US policy thereby defends it. Wrong! Ms. Moses' descriptions of the Cuban people transcend policy and politics. This is as it should be since the subjects of her description have no opportunity to affect either. They are "los olvidados" [the Forgotten Ones] and Ms. Moses has spoken eloquently on their behalf.

What is this book NOT? It is not a travelogue, although the beauty of the island is described in detail. It is not a political screed against the Castro regime or US policy, although their grass-roots effects are the basis of the book. It is not a detailed analysis of the history of US-Cuban relations, even though the lingering connection between our two countries is described with sensitivity, almost suggesting a feeling of love lost. Finally, to use Ms. Abbey's phrase, It is certainly not a "myopic view of 'the world according to Uncle Sam.'"

"Real Life in Castro's Cuba" is a well-written, deeply personal description of the Cuban people. I defy anyone to read Ms. Moses' account of meeting a Cuban army veteran wounded in the war in Angola and not be moved. The picture on the cover of the paperback edition captures the essence of the entire book. The children are next to a well-paved road, but three are sharing a horse with a blanket for a saddle and a rope for a bridle. The fourth girl is on a man's bike far too large for her, and they all lack shoes. Yet, they are smiling warmly. This book was definitely not written by a US State Department apologist, but by one who obviously has "el alma de una Cubana" [the soul of a Cuban].

"Havana Dreams" was written as a memoir, Wendy Gimbel's attempt to capture the romance of Cuba in its heyday and the heartbreak of Cuba today. The premise is great, but the execution doesn't hold up as well. Gimbel is a strong writer, and her narrative is evocative and moving, but she organized her material in the wrong way. Instead of a memoir, she should have just written about someone else. What's really interesting here is the story of Fidel Castro's lover Naty, her mother Dona Natica, and Naty and Castro's daughter Alina. It's got everything: passion, intrigue, mystery, and betrayal. If Gimbel had concentrated on Naty and the Revuelta family, the book would have been much stronger. For example, by inserting her own maternal abandonment issues into Naty's story, she weakened the book overall. On the other hand, it can't have been easy to try to pull the truth out of these women who each wanted to control their stories, none of whom were above changing details to make themselves (Dona Natica and Alina) or Castro (Naty) more sympathetic or more impressive. Although flawed, "Havana Dreams" is a poignant, romantic tale, much like that of Cuba itself.

Havana Dreams scans the 20th century in the unforgettable account of a Cuban family, descended from aristocrats, who live the high life before Fidel, and the heartbreak after. This is the story of Naty Revuelta, and four generations of Cuban women. In 1952, Naty met Fidel Castro, a young revolutionary, and although she was married, began a passionate affair with him that resulted in his unrecognized daughter and his rejection of her mother. Despite the large number of friends and family who fled Cuba, including Naty's husband, a doctor and their daughter, Nina, when Fidel took over, Naty stayed with her mother, Dona Natica and her daughter by Fidel, Alina, in hopes that she and Fidel would eventually be together. This is the story of her hopes and dreams, as well as the heartbreak of lost love and a disentegrating society. We trace the lives of Naty's daughters and their daughters, who all end up in the States, one with an ordinary confortable life, and the daughter of Fidel who longs for the acceptance and position she feels she deserves. This is truly a powerful story, even moreso because itis true, of passion and what revolution can do in the light of modern Cuban history.

What a great read! Wendy Gimbel gives her readers the tastes and smells of Castro's Cuba and a sense of its place in history, while presenting a story as subtle as it is dishy! This is like a Cuban "Bill and Monica" as told by Tolstoy!

Gimbel's account presents four generations of women whose lives are not only caught in the history of modern Cuba, but shaped by one woman's actual love affair with Fidel.(Gimbel even managed to get Castro's love letters!)

The grace of Gimbel's prose makes Havana Dreams an aesthetic--almost musical--pleasure to read.

The first part of the book is my favorite. It really gave me a lot of clues on how to practice and what to practice. Now I'm practicing a lot less time than before and I'm learning a lot faster.

I have been a tango instructor for 20 years and I find even the exercises were good for me, I'm using them to teach to my beginners class.
I do really thanks the effort put on it and the inspiration I got from it.

The first part of this excellent book, is full of exercises
for relaxation and understanding ones body.
The second part it provides the inside of the mind of an improviser, detailing the tools to improve your dancing.
Excellent book.

Mi Moto Fidel starts off promisingly enough, but sputters to a weak stop. Baker relating his apparently endless series of amorous conquests quickly becomes wearing (except possibly to 20-something males), as does his litany of complaints about Cuba's food (or lack thereof), heat, dust, and accomodations (or again, lack thereof).

While all probably true, I quickly tired of Baker's self-centerness and whining writing style. Except for sex, Baker seems not to have all that much liking for the Cuban people, his claims throughout Mi Moto Fidel notwithstanding.

Mi Morto Fidel belongs to that strange genre of travel books where the writer, after finally achieving his/her life-long dream. discovers that it wasn't worthwhile pursuing. You may find Mi Moto Fidel interesting if you think one man's pursuit of one-night stands is worthwhile reading. If you buy Mi Moto Fidel, as I did, to learn more about Cuba prior to traveling there, I think you'll find the book disappointing and depressing.

I used one of Christopher Baker's guidebooks over a year ago during my own 1 month adventure through Cuba. I found it to be an excellent book that was accurate and politically balanced (rare in most guidebooks). While in Havana, one of my friends told me he met Mr. Baker in a bar and that he was quite the "character". Naturally, when "Mi Moto Fidel" came out I bought it immediately. I had to know the story behind the writing of the guidebook and the man who wrote it. Other than Baker's initial political take on Cuba, his impressions were similar to my feelings about the island. He is able to love Cuba and it's people while still recognizing it's problems. He was also very honest about the change he experienced on his view of the current system. He gives a fair and balanced way of looking at the Cuba "situation". He essentially evolves and gains a much deeper understanding of Cuba and himself during his trip. I can understand how some readers might think Baker is a tad arrogant and self-centered, but he also was able to openly and honestly write about his mistakes and misconceptions; and actually grow from this. A rare quality in people. The book is also a great adventure story that will appeal to those who have or have wanted to travel independently. My only criticism is Baker's apparent disdain for most of the other foreigners he meets. I too despise many of the obnoxious package tourists I meet when traveling, however Baker seems to have trouble finding any redeeming qualities in most of the other tourists/travelers he meets. It seems he won't even give most of them a chance. He looks onto a beach and refers to fat, white skinned tourists. I am not sure how one can judge another person without actually speaking with them. Baker doesn't seem to realize that the content of someone's character has nothing to do with whether or not they have a tan or are thin (Although, I must admit, some of the tourists he meets do give arrogance and ignorance a new meaning). At times it seems he has the maturity level of a Southern California "frat" boy. I have no problem with his sexual adventures. After all, he was single and traveling in a very erotic country. But, I am confused as to why he seems to look down on other men who do the exact same as he. Maybe only tan men on motos have the right to enjoy themselves in this manner? I sometimes get the impression that Baker thinks he is "cooler" than other foreigners. Despite all this, I still highly recommend this book. It is well written, entertaining, insightful, funny, and accurate. Baker knows and understands this island better than most. He maintains his deep love for Cuba despite some of his unpleasant revalations during his trip. I look forward to his next book.

Baker's words utterly captivated my imagination. Each time I had to put the book down, it was like leaving a great party much too early. And, when I came to the last page it was as like a power outage in the midst of watching an enthralling movie. Bake deftly crafts scenes that are alive with the alluring sights, sounds and scents of Cuba. He manages to smoothly weave in to the mix, fascinating bits about Cuba's tumultuous history, some intriguing insights into Castro's childhood and early years as well as informative asides about Che and other pre and post revolutionary characters. His words flow like a heartfelt letter from a friend- or better yet, to read Me Moto Fidel is the next best thing to riding right alongside Baker as he explores one of the world's most enigmatic countries onboard his rugged Paris-Dakkar Beemer. Baker was also commendably frank and revealing about his socialist ideals and how his preconceptions and assumptions were sometimes confirmed, sometimes transmuted and repeatedly decimated as he explored Cuba's towns, cities and rural expanses. Mui Bueno, Cristobal!! Perfecto!