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Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder, And The Cold War In The Caribbean (2011)

by Alex von Tunzelmann(Favorite Author)

4.2 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0805090673 (ISBN13: 9780805090673)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Henry Holt and Co.

review 1: This was a good, thorough history of the cold war in the Caribbean. It centers on Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the United States relationship with all three nations. It's very well researched, and does a great job showing how the U.S. was so ridiculously afraid of communism that it lent aid and support to ruthless dictators in Haiti and the D.R. simply because they played with that fear. This history was upsetting more than anything else, because American foreign policy hasn't gotten any smarter since the Red scare days of the 50's and 60's. We were at "war" with and idea then, and it didn't work. And now we're at war with an idea again. Still not working. But it's a worthwhile read it you want to cover another angle of the cold war.
review 2: This ... moreis by far the best non-fiction account I've read of the Cold War in the Caribbean, with some of the most fascinating and horrifying details that I didn't find in my college textbooks. I thought I knew a lot about the period, especially in Cuba and the Dominican Republic, but I learned so much that I finally feel like a have a full grasp on the subject. I also learned a huge amount about the Duvalier period in Haiti, and it was actually worse than I had originally learned. There are some things I found hard to believe, but given the exhaustive research and incredible amount of documents and interviews the author did, it appears to be a really complete account. It's better if you already have some familiarity with the topic, but it's still well-explained if you don't. The less you know though, the more you have to prepare yourself for some of the information you'll learn. It's not pretty. My only complaint is the organization - I think it was meant to be in chronological order, but it constantly skips back and forth between countries so the common thread isn't always coherent. But other than that, one of the best reads out there. less

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