Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
William Morrow - William Morrow
Release date: 2008-06-03
Hardcover
Author: T. J. English
American history, True Crime, Cuba - History, History - General History, True Crime / Espionage, Caribbean & West Indies - Cuba, History / Caribbean & West Indies / Cuba, History / Latin America / General, Organized Crime, True Crime / Organized Crime, Latin America - General, 1933-1959, 20th century, Cuba, Havana, Havana (Cuba), History, Mafia, Social conditions
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Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
Date undefinedAs someone with a mild curiosity about mob-related nonfiction, I picked up Havana Nocturne simply because it seemed like an interesting topic. I had little knowledge of T.J. English's writing or the role of the mob in Cuba beyond the pop culture portrayals. I was pleasantly surprised that English has put together an informative yet entertaining account of a very unique period in Cuban history.
This is no cliffhanger. The title of the book and basic history forewarn you that the Castro revolution was the end of American mob involvement in Cuba. English's descriptive narrative style, however, kept my attention as he tracks the rapid waxing and waning of mob power in an exotic locale that was all about gambling, sex and entertainment. The sophisticated distribution of power among the criminal bosses and the interplay of politics and money provide striking examples of a truly one-of-a-kind situation in history. It's pretty obvious how a compelling movie like The Godfather II was based upon the exploits of Meyer Lanksy and his cohorts.
When the end comes, it comes quickly, and I couldn't help but want more about the legacy of the Havana Mob beyond the summaries included at the end. Still, the story is fleshed out well with details much darker and sexier than I expected from a nonfiction work. To my relief, English doesn't delve into the overly dramatic morality schlock you normally see in crime writing. I will definitely give some of his other books a try after reading this.
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
Date undefinedThis is a situation where this book deserves two ratings. One is a 5 for purely the writing, excitement, and entertainment value. it is extremely well written, reading more like a crime novel than a true historical account of the events leading up to the Cuban Revolution. Here lies the problem. As a historical account it has serious limitations. To be brief only a few examples will be given here.
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1) English comes to general conclusions which simply don't fit the complexity of what happened in Cuba. One example is his bold statement that Castro became a Communist during his tenure in Mexico City. There is simply nothing that supports this assertion. Antonio de La Cova in "The Moncada Attack: Birth of the Cuban Revolution" (a much better historical account of the events that led to the Revolution and Castro himself) cites examples of Castro's day of imprisonment on the Isle of Pines that leads to the conclusion that his conversion to marxisim (if such a conversion actually existed) occurred much earlier. Nonetheless if English is correct it only shows once again that it is only myth that US policy turned Casto to Marxism. English does a good job of showing that the opposite is true. From Mathews article in the New York Times to Castro's fundraising visits to US cities, it is clear that Castro owes much of his success to the US.
2) The greatest disappointment is that English falls into the trap of using tired and old cliches to describe the Cuban exile community. He seems to insinuate that the mass exodus that occurred in 59 and into the early 60s were primarily "Batistianos". Again, where is English getting his statistics from? Many of those that left Cuba during that time had supported the revolution and wanted Batista removed. They left because the biggest "deceiver" in this tragic story was Castro.
English (again just an old cliche) refers to the pandering of the Cuban voting bloc. Perhaps we should also call then "pandering" when politicians from all persuasions look how best to serve the needs (votes?) of specific minority groups. English also mentions,"the celebration evoked the early days of 1959, when Cubans reveled over the fall of Batista" in referring to the festivities in Miami that followed the announcement that Castro was seriously ill. One can only conclude that English must be delusional on this subject to compare such completely different events. Again he then makes the general statement, without any backing, that "exiles, who continue to dream of the day when they would return to Cuba and reclaim all they had lost...". Let me remind Mr English, and others, that the revolution occurred 50 years ago this year. Can he explain to me which of those exiles is still living who dream of going back. Most of that generation is now gone, never having returned to their beloved island and extremely loyal to the United States. They have raised children that may or may not return, AS VISITORS, to the "Pearl of the Antilles". If they do it will not be to "reclaim all they had lost".
3) That last example is Mr. English's statement that the average Cuban wage was 12 dollars a month. Again I have no idea where or how he came up with this figure.
In summary, this is an excellent read, from a purely crime novel perspective. It should not be read as an accurate potrayal of the Cuban tragedy.
Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba and Then Lost It to the Revolution
Date undefinedI enjoyed this work about how the mob basically ran Cuba during the last few years before Castro. English paints a clear picture about how the corruption fostered upon the Cuban people by the mafia and a few elites in the Cuban government paved the way for 50 plus years of the Castro dictatorship. What is very interesting is the role that the United States played in not only propping up the Batista dictator ship but at the end forcing him out without a viable alternative to go to. Truly this is one of the most pathetic stories in U.S. diplomatic history.
The focus of the story is on Myer Lanskey and if there is one weakness to the book it does try to set an atmosphere and can't really pull it off. We are supposed to try and smell the scent of the tropical air combined with the allure of the big name celebrities and exotic acts and it just doesn't come together. Rather, this at times reads like a cross between a crime novel and something about the fall of a big business. Still it is well worth the read and I suggest it to all who enjoy true crime.
