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Rating: 
Summary: In Defence of the Revolution
Review: Ms. Rosendahl's book reads more like a master's thesis than an informative book. It was apparent to this reader that she started with strong feminist and socialist tendencies which caused the conclusions to be less than candid. Expect a book that starts with preconcieved notions that socialism is a very good thing and that without Castro's revolution there would have been no progress in Cuba in the last thirty years. Overall a very dry boring work that was difficult to follow. Many of her conclusions will ring very false with anyone who has visited Cuba in the last eight years or has the ability to form objective opinions of the state of the people.
Rating:
Summary: In Defence of the Revolution
Review: Ms. Rosendahl's book reads more like a master's thesis than an informative book. It was apparent to this reader that she started with strong feminist and socialist tendencies which caused the conclusions to be less than candid. Expect a book that starts with preconcieved notions that socialism is a very good thing and that without Castro's revolution there would have been no progress in Cuba in the last thirty years. Overall a very dry boring work that was difficult to follow. Many of her conclusions will ring very false with anyone who has visited Cuba in the last eight years or has the ability to form objective opinions of the state of the people.
Rating: 
Summary: In Defense of this book
Review: This book does read like a master's thesis, in that it is full of statistics and survey results, and has an opening and a conclusion. Despite the sometimes academic style of writing, this book provides an important service: it answers the question, "What is it like to live under Fidel? What does the Revolution mean to everyday Cubans?" Rosendahl makes it clear that this study is based on her experience while living in a small town in a fairly agricultural area, and does not necessarily reflect the feelings of Cubans living in Havana, and certainly makes no comment on the outlook of Cuban exiles in the US. What it does do is give as broad and balanced a perspective as possible of how the communist revolution affects aspects of everyday life, such as schooling, shopping, and interpersonal relationships. The study took place in the 1980's, so it is only in the brief epilogue that Rosendahl has a chance to comment on the devestating effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In response to the previous reviewer, the feminist notions that Rosendahl presents are that women are equal to men, and the claims that socialism has been good for Cuba in part can be easily supported by standard of living statistics available from the UN. In conclusion, though the style could be improved, this book provides unique insight into life in Communist Cuba.
Rating:
Summary: In Defense of this book
Review: This book does read like a master's thesis, in that it is full of statistics and survey results, and has an opening and a conclusion. Despite the sometimes academic style of writing, this book provides an important service: it answers the question, "What is it like to live under Fidel? What does the Revolution mean to everyday Cubans?" Rosendahl makes it clear that this study is based on her experience while living in a small town in a fairly agricultural area, and does not necessarily reflect the feelings of Cubans living in Havana, and certainly makes no comment on the outlook of Cuban exiles in the US. What it does do is give as broad and balanced a perspective as possible of how the communist revolution affects aspects of everyday life, such as schooling, shopping, and interpersonal relationships. The study took place in the 1980's, so it is only in the brief epilogue that Rosendahl has a chance to comment on the devestating effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In response to the previous reviewer, the feminist notions that Rosendahl presents are that women are equal to men, and the claims that socialism has been good for Cuba in part can be easily supported by standard of living statistics available from the UN. In conclusion, though the style could be improved, this book provides unique insight into life in Communist Cuba.
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