About this item
Fidel Castro is dead. Donald Trump was elected president. And to most outsiders, the fate of Cuba has never seemed more uncertain. Yet those who look close enough may recognize that signs of the next revolution are etched in plain view. This is Cuba is a true story that begins in the summer of 2009 when a young American photo-journalist is offered the chance of a lifetime - a two-year assignment in Havana. For David Ariosto, the island is an intriguing new world, unmoored from the one he left behind. From neighboring military coups, suspected honey traps, salty spooks, and desperate migrants to dissidents, doctors, and Havanas empty shelves, Ariosto uncovers the islands subtle absurdities, its Cold War mystique, and the hopes of a people in the throes of transition. Beyond the classic cars, salsa, and cigars lies a country in which black markets are ubiquitous, free speech is restricted, privacy is curtailed, sanctions wreak havoc, and an almost Kafka-esque goo of Soviet-style bureaucracy still slows the gears of an economy desperate to move forward. But life in Cuba is indeed changing, as satellite dishes and internet hotspots dot the landscape and more Americans want in. Still, its not so simple. The old sentries on both sides of the Florida Straits remain at their posts, fists clenched and guarding against the specter of a Cold War that never quite ended, despite the death of Fidel and the hand-over of the presidency to a man whose last name isnt Castro. And now, a crisis is brewing. In This Is Cuba, Ariosto looks at Cuba from the inside-out over the course of nine years, endeavoring to expose clues for whats in store for the island as it undergoes its biggest change in more than half a century.
About the Author
DAVID ARIOSTO was born in Newburgh, New York. After a stint in Havana, Cuba, as a photojournalist for CNN, he found his way back to the Empire State. He now lives in Manhattan with his family, and has worked for National Geographic, Reuters, CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera America, and Brut. He is currently Executive Producer at GZERO Media at Eurasia Group, and continues to make regular trips to Cuba as an independent reporter and photographer. Ariosto is also a board member of the Overseas Press Club, and has a Master's degree in Public Policy from George Mason University.
