A good read
I got this book as a reward for completing a papre on the Spanish-American war. This was a good thing because I could understand all of the off hand historic references made by the author. Mr Leonard sees the conflict from the ground up. he even includes a reporter (one of many that were in Cuba at the time) and a survivor from the U.S.S. Maine to fill in some gaps and keep the story connected to historic events. This story reminds me of the reports that came out of Saigon by the reporters who were covering the vietnam war. Always revealing the background story not mentioned in official history. The reationship between Cubans civil servants and the Spanish colonials was not always on good footing. Just think of the Vichy French and the Germans in "Casablanca. Also how the American "Liberators" looked down on the cuban :Freedom Fighters". Cuba Libra adds amother dimension to the understanding of this war.
The story reads just like a movie treatment (I often had Brad Pitt in mind) and the pace is always moving. By the time you come to the surprise ending you have had a very nice vacation in Cuba and want to return for another visit.
