After talking to the Cuban bloggers at
the Babalu blog about Che Guevera and Cuba
for PJTV, I wanted to learn more. They had mentioned a book by Humberto Fontova entitled,
Exposing the Real Che Guevara: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him, as a good source so I ordered it as soon as I got back from Miami. It came today and I quickly picked it up to read.
Fontova, the author, fled Cuba in 1961, at the age of seven, with his mother and siblings. He opens the book with the sad story of his family fleeing from Cuba with all of their possessions taken from them. His father was held in a Havana prison but eventually made it to Miami, and then to New Orleans to join his family. His cousin was not so lucky. He was a fervent Catholic activist who spoke out against the regime. His body was found at a Cuban police station, bruised and banged up. The secret police told the family he died of a "heart attack."
Fontova gives the reader some insight into Cuban Americans and why they are so passionate:
If Cuban Americans strike you as too passionate, over the top, even a little crazy, there is a reason. Practically everyday, we turn on our televisions or go out to the street only to see the image of the very man who trained the secret police to murder our relatives--thousands of men, women and boys. This man committed many of these murders with his own hands. And yet we see him celebrated everywhere as the quintessence of humanity, progress, and compassion.
That man, that murderer, is Ernesto "Che" Guevara.
Fontova interviews the few people who are still alive who interacted with Che and who tell the truth about him, unlike the sleazy Hollywood stars and the media who because of ignorance or anti-Americanism, have come to idolize a mass murderer.
I have always wondered why in the world anyone would wear a Che Guevera t-shirt, yet I see it all the time, on people who should know better. To some who are just ignorant, Che symbolizes "rebellion and standing against the man." But he was "the man"--the man who murdered innocent men, women and children. After reading Fontova's book and doing a little research, perhaps they will understand what he was really about and will choose a different symbol for their t-shirt. Hopefully, one more
like this:Labels: Cuba, interesting books, useful idiots