During the Mexican Revolution, Woodrow Wilson needed a pretext to seize the Mexican port of Veracruz from the forces of the dictator Huerta. His basic intentions was to prevent the port from supplying Huerta with arms for his fight with the rebels. In deciding to intervene, he uses the detainment of American sailors for one hour as the justification. Events then slide out of control with the capture of Veracruz. Twenty US soldiers and hundreds of Mexican citizens become the victims of Wilson's policy. This book portrays Wilson negatively, because his policy was not justified. Mexicans remember this event more than the earlier wars with the United States. Although Wilson may have been an idealist, the portrait in the book is of a self righteous man, not capable of understanding another viewpoint. Accounts in the book show the American occupation as being progressive and in the best interests of the people of Veracruz. Wilson returned the port to the rebels after nine months.

This is a nice read for a little known chapter in American and Mexican history. People would be wise to read it, especially in light of the use of American forces worldwide.

Very well written book about an incident in American history that the American Government would rather forget. The book is savage in its accessment of Wilson and the reasons that America chose to interfere in the affairs of another country.

Mr. Quirk has certainly done his homework. This book is packed with information, and it really takes you through Fidel's life and I feel as though I have a picture and a sense of the man.

The problem to me though, is the book seemed very one sided. There were too many jabs and remarks about Cuba and Castro in the book. Fortunately for me right before reading this book i spent 2 weeks in Cuba *with the people*. Being a musician i was able to get close to Cubans in a way most people can't. With these 2 sources of information (Cuba and the book) I have been able to form my opinion of Castro and of Cuba. I love Cuba and I love the Cubans, AND i'm not a socialist AND i do have some admiration for Castro.

True, Cuban government literature is extremely biased as well, but the people are honest. If this book came with round trip tickets to Cuba you could really get a fairly broad and honest picture of castro and cuba. But since it doesn't, i recommend reading with care.

Please consider this (my 2 cents): 1) i talked with many cubans who feel Castro was a better alternative to the outside (yes U.S.) domination they were facing. Cuba has a very violent and oppressive past. 2) Children of the revolution who do not know life before Castro do not hate him, they seem to like him to some degree. 3) Remember: low crime, little or no domestic violence, little or no child abuse. no drugs, little racism between the Spanish Cubans and the Afro-Cubans. Nearly 100% literacy!

4) The Cuban people are genuinely gentle and kind

I guess Castro should get some credit for some of this, but i didn't find much in this book.

Yes, i'm aware gays are persecuted, people build rafts out of logs to get away, toilets don't flush, and they truck water into the havana. This is not the way I would want to live.

This is my point: please be open-minded and take care with the Cubans and with Cuba and even with Fidel. There is a lot to consider when reading about Cuba. Too many Cubans on both sides 'of the water' have been hurt by recklessness and greed.

Please remember i am not an authority on any of this. These are my humble opinions and observations.

This is book is a welcome addition and sheds much needed light on the phenonmenon of Castro. It is thoroughly researched and quite lengthy-perhaps too much so however. After completing a masters degree in Latin American studies and pouring over the vast literature on Cuba, I definitely recommend this book but suggest reading others on the topic as well. Cuban studies is such a politicized field and it is remarkably difficult to find academics, pundits, and others writing in this area who aren't completely biased in one way or the other. In addition to this book, I recommend books and articles by Jorge Dominguez, who is probably the most noted scholar writing on Cuba today.

Prior to reading Quirk's biography of Fidel Castro, I had developed a vehement hatred for Communist Cuba. This hatred originated from anti-Communist propaganda I had experienced during middle-school, they said Castro nearly started WWIII, and was a hoodlum who should have been taken out a long time ago.

But then a few people I knew recommended Quirk's biography of Castro, they also recommended two other fine bio's of Fidel, one by Georgie Anne Geyer, and another by Tad Szulc. I purchased the book, and read it with a completely biased perspective. But after reading the book, I really began realize what my teachers had told me about Castro was a complete fallacy. Castro, contrary to popular opinion, was a man who had the best interests of his people when taking power, and is not the megalomaniacal tyrant that I had come to think of him as. The author intended to write a negative portrait of "El Commandante", but the author couldn't possibly conceal Fidel's vast achievements. After reading Quirk's book, I am completely convinced Fidel Castro is one of the few genuine genius's of the Twentieth Century, belonging in the ranks of Churchill, FDR, Lenin, and Trotsky. I highly recommend this extraordinary book.