Review of "Passage to Cuba: An Up-close Look at the World’s Most Colorful Culture," by Cynthia Carris Alonso

 Review of

Passage to Cuba: An Up-close Look at the World’s Most Colorful Culture, by Cynthia Carris Alonso ISBN 9781632208484

Five out of five stars

A pictorial look at the best of Cuba

 While I have never been to Cuba, I understand that there are the good areas that are colorful and well maintained versus other areas that continue to decay. The American embargo that was somewhat off for a few years has been put back on, leading to limited interaction between the people of Cuba and the United States. That is unfortunate, for the embargo has never come near achieving what the proponents claim it will do.

The author is a professional photographer married to a Cuban, so she has near free rein to move between Cuba and the United States as well as fairly free movement around Cuba when she is there. Alonso also does not have to acquiesce to government assigned minders when moving and taking her photos.

 While photos tend to show people and places at their best, it is clear from these pictures that the Cuban culture is a dynamic one. The people remain full of life despite their hardships and shortages of basic goods. No photo essay is complete without several images of the cars, I once told a mechanic I know that I would travel to Cuba just to see the old American cars on the streets. He agreed with me.

 There are some photos of buildings that have decayed to the point of collapse and a few pictures of rural areas. However, most are of the urban areas photographed are lively and colorful, this fact needs to be kept in mind when reading this book.