More than a century after the Spanish-American War, the U.S. military has not left Cuba. As most Americans know, day-to-day life at Guantánamo Bay carries unsettling implications for both Cuba and the United States. William Craig, whose great-grandfather fought the Spanish in 1898, travels to Cuba to unravel the complicated history of the U.S. presence there, and to determine whether his ancestor, famous for outsized lies, was telling the truth about his triumphant charge up San Juan Hill.
Craig evokes the chaotic, crowded, sweaty yet seductive ethos of Cuba, from extortion at the airport to cups of strong, sweet coffee at a friend's casa. He walks the streets of Havana and Santiago de Cuba, weaving his journey into the larger story of Cuba's long struggle for true independence. American readers will find dozens of unfamiliar names, anecdotes and facts, but Craig is a patient narrator, introducing a paean of cubano heroes while emphasizing his main point: most Americans are dangerously uninformed about their neighbor to the south. While the U.S. government clings to its small piece of Cuba, American citizens view the island with fear and distrust, if they consider it at all. As Craig approaches Guantánamo, he wonders what lies ahead for the two countries locked in a twisted, often toxic relationship.
From beisbol games to scarred war monuments, from intoxicating contrabajista music to a tense interrogation at Guantánamo, Yankee Come Home provides a complex but fascinating look at a vibrant country often overlooked by Americans. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams