Ay, Cuba!: A Socio-Erotic Journey

I loved this book! I live in Miami and love to learn things about Cuba. Since i'm not Cuban and i don't speak Spanish this was a great insight for me. The book reads very fluid and is just so much fun. The Arthur is a former communist really brings the book to life with his early dealings with the communist part. Don't hesitate to read this book. its not very sexually graphic and such just a pleasant read.

The tragic state of cuban society is well demonstrated here. Codrescu reveals a warm, loving people with the ability to eek out a living under the harshest economic conditions. The revolution was to have resolved many of Cubas present day problems. Yet here, 40 years later, Codrescu shows how it has exchanged the poverty of some for the misery of all (except for the communist aparatchik).

Codrescu and Graham's splendid, intimate book on Cuba is sure to enrage narrow minds on both the left and the right. Codrescu had no sympathy for the dictator, but loves the Cuban people. The Cuban people have no sympathy for the dictator either, and they respond most warmly to the poet's interest in them. Cuba is a sexy land and Cubans are sensual people. Most commentators ignore this reality, but Codrescu doesn't shy from it. The result is a tropical, sensual book that speaks about Cuba's political, social, and erotic truth with intelligence, wit, and passion.

I have had a passion for Cuba, Cuban books, and accounts of life on the island for three decades. I found "Ay, Cuba" to be the most engaging, sexiest book I ever read. Codrescu captures the flavors of the island, the warmth of the people, and the unfairness of the monstrous regime. Because of his Eastern European background, the author is able to see much deeper than most American writers. He encounters santeros, prostitutes, high-ranking Cubans, writers, and Americans in love with the Cuban mystique. There is also a spectacular interview with Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, the Yankee pitcher who helped win the World Series, just a few days before his defection. "Ay. Cuba: A Socio-Erotyic Journey" is a must for anyone interested in the island, its textures, flavors, sounds, and allure.