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Rating: 
Summary: seems interesting...
Review: "The Cuban Way" is perhaps the best resource for easily understanding the confusing state of the Cuban economy (and politics and society, for that matter). I have studied the Cuban situation for many years, have read many books and articles on the subject, and authored a few publications of my own, and nothing I have come across on the subject is better. I also run a consulting company about trade with Cuba, Giraldilla.com, and I am constantly referring clients who want an accessible, thorough overview to this book. Through an excellent combination of clear explanation, helpful charts and graphs, and personal anecdotes, the author paints a broad, a comprehensive picture that is full of detail, but not overwhealming or too technical. Jatar-Hausman performs a great service to the Cuba expert and the Cuba curious alike.
Rating: 
Summary: serious read, well-written
Review: (From Planeta Journal) - Get to know the Cubans! Combining professional and personal journies, author Ana Julia Jatar-Hausman returns to the island of her birth -- specifically to the hotel her grandfather operated until it was appropriated by the government for housing. The author deftly explores the complex,chaotic and appealing culture of the Cubans. She provides descriptive portraits of the newly self-employed, from meat vendors to owners of small restaurants (paladars). This book, subtitled "Capitalism, Communisim and Conforntation," is as much about people as it is about policy. Surveys and illustrations document the changing roles of sugar and tourism in the economy as well as a profile of the rise and fall of the fiscal deficit. Excellent!
Rating:
Summary: Insightful, informative and a quick read
Review: Between the anecdotes and the hard, cold facts, Jatar-Hausman provides a fascinating, accurate and comprehensive view of the post-Cold War Cuban economy and how it affects the life of the individual Cuban.
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Summary: A good overview of Cuba toward the end of the Special Period
Review: This book mixes little snapshots of individuals' lives in Cuba after the bottom fell out of the Cuban economy in 93-94 with statistical data to provide a good mix of hard facts and real-life experiences. This post 1994 look is important in that it realizes that the Cuban economy is not going to simply collapse any time soon and that Castro and the rest of the Cuban government figures will likely be around for a while. The book gives equal weight to the history of Cuba and today's Cuba while managing to show that the country is not simply a product of its history. The different anecdotes about moonlighting psychiatrists and frustrated economists bring the points to a more visceral level. The mix of statistics in the form of charts and graphs and real world experience blends together into a readable, cohesive look at the Cuba of today. I definitely recommend this book to whoever wishes to learn a little more about the Cuba of today.
Rating:
Summary: seems interesting...
Review: This is a book I' d like to read and review, perhaps in a review article including other economic books on Cuban affairs that I have listed. These include some by Perez-Lopez and a forthcoming reedition of Guerilla Prince, which I hope to receive either in a readable format by e-mail or as a courtesy of the eds. Prof (econ) Claes Croner EcoLingua 11727 Stockholm Sweden
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