CUBA An American History

In her prologue to this audiobook, author Ada Ferrer describes her émigré family's history in Cuba and her own return to the island after years in the U.S. Her book, she emphasizes, is an American history of Cuba, and of its long, often problematic relationship with the U.S. Ferrer's voice is amiable but somewhat flat. So it's a boon that Alma Cuervo narrates the remainder of the audiobook, providing the necessary steadiness and expressiveness of a trained voice. She's a highly empathetic interpreter of Ferrer's narrative. The story is fascinating, enlightening, and often deeply moving as Cuervo recounts Cuba's sorry history of racial division, enslavement, and exploitation--most vividly, the crushing labor of its sugar plantations. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2021]