The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times

A stunning work of reportage over three generation reveals the terrible lengths to which people must go to survive daily life in Cuba

‘Moving and rich…overflowing with warmth and humanity’ The Times

In this pioneering work of life-writing and reportage, Anthony DePalma reconstructs the interwoven stories of five ordinary citizens and their families to bring the true story of the Cuban people to the world.

From Castro’s heyday, through the devastation of post-Soviet collapse, to the false dawn of recent years, we witness the hardships of life across six decades of socialist state control - where even today the government decides what work you can do and where you live; where food is rationed, and basic medicines are unavailable.

The Cubans maps a country where the revolution that once inspired its people has since tested their faith with tragedy and disillusionment, revealing the daily acts of heroism and the endlessly adaptive resilience that are required of them to survive.

‘Page-turning…revealing and unputdownable’ Claire Boobbyer, Cuba travel expert

‘A deeply reported…account of Cuba’s bittersweet realities’ Financial Times