Navarro's recitation of his experiences prior to and during the Castro revolution fleshs out the stark outline of events that remains in the average American's memory. As in any well written history, this piques the reader with an eyewitness viewpoint. The tale, being biographical, developes poignancy, as it progresses from an early acceptance of the personal privation that Casto's confiscatory policies bring to the familys who enjoyed wealth and power but who believe that change will bring freedom from the worst aspects of the prior regime.Incidents that are precursors of the initial terror and the ultimate oppression by Castro are graphically and dramatically recounted. Tensions are heightened within the family as its members are exposed to different aspects of the new regime and they react in similar ways but not simultaneously. This recitation of personal reactions to the most recent revolution in a nation that is virtually contiguous to the United States provides a useful foundation for understanding the political effects within the United States.Without knowledge of such reactions by victims of the changes in Cuba it might be difficult to understand their seeming intransigence.With it , the effects on United States policy as well as the burden that Castro's Cuba bears to prove it's BONA FIDES is clear and continuing.