The Cuban Revolution of 1959, spearheaded by the young Fidel Castro along with his companion in arms, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, is mythic in both its dream and reality. Fidel offers a uniquely readable and illustrated account of the struggle for Castro to define and defend his nation in the face of fear and opposition from the United States, Cuba's neighbor a scant ninety miles away. In addition to discussing the Bay of Pigs and the Cold War, the author examines Cuban influence in Latin American insurgencies, the student protests of 1968 Europe, the African-American uprisings of the United States, the liberation of Vietnam, the decolonization of Africa, the end of Apartheid, and the rise of Cuban-ally Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela. Along with entertaining comics and photographs, this short read traces the ambitions of Castro as he aims to endow the face of socialism with creative, intelligent, and humanitarian features, and shows a man indistinguishable from his revolution and his country.
Nestor Kohan, born in Buenos Aires in 1967, is the author of a number of Spanish-language books on Marxism, Che Guevara, and social movements in Latin America.
Nahuel Scherma is an Argentinian filmmaker and documentarian. Fidel is his first book of illustrations.
