Cuba is often perceived in starkly black and white terms -- either as the site of one of Latin America's most successful revolutions or as the bastion of the world's last communist regime. The Cuba Reader multiplies perspectives on the nation many times over, presenting more than one hundred selections about Cuba's history, culture, and politics. It combines songs, paintings, photographs, poems, short stories, speeches, cartoons, government reports and proclamations, and pieces by historians, journalists, and others. Most of these are by Cubans, and many appear for the first time in English. The writings and speeches of Jose Marti, Fernando Ortiz, Fidel Castro, Alejo Carpentier, and Reinaldo Areras appear alongside the testimonies of slaves, prostitutes, doctors, travelers, and activists. Some selections examine health, education, Catholicism, and santeria; others celebrate Cuba's vibrant dance, music, film, and literary cultures. For students, travelers, and all who want to know more about the island nation just ninety miles south of Miami, The Cuba Reader is an invaluable introduction.