Sebrina Whitener \"Fidel: A Critical Portrait\" Tad

Sebrina Whitener

"Fidel: A Critical Portrait"

Tad Szulc is a veteran New York Times reporter who first came to know Castro in 1959 while covering a story. Over the years, he has continued reporting on Castro. Szulc has interviewed Castro on many occasions and also interviewed his friends, past friends and his enemies. He was given unprecedented access by both the Cuban government, and by Castro himself, to conduct his research for the book. The book really gets inside the events rather than just reporting from the outside.

Szulc had greater access to Castro than any other reporter. This is one of the reasons why the book is so interesting. Because of Szulc's relationship with Castro he is able to present him not just as a 'communist' or an 'evil man' as some other books. He is able to present him as he really is. He goes beyond just the facts and tells us about Castro himself. There are stories of his youth as well as stories of his years as a notorious leader. From this we are able to get a glimpse into what made Castro into what he is. While some books offer us only a one-sided view of Castro as a villain, this book offers an unbiased view.

As well as this the book reveals information about Castro, Cuba and the revolution that many other sources could not know. At the same time, it does this with the same balanced view.

The book is not anti-Castro like many others, it is just a true account of the events and the man. The book is also filled with anecdotes, both serious and light-hearted. These allow the reader to get within the story. It makes what can seem like just a chain of events, a real journey. It allows the reader to understand Cuba and Castro, not just by reading about events but by really experiencing them. While the humorous anecdotes initially seem a little out of place, in the end they just allow the reader to enjoy the story and to see it from Castro's viewpoint.

The book details both the good points of Castro and the bad. It is recognized that he was an inspiring leader. While his motives and the result may be questionable, there is no doubt that his ability as a leader is to be admired. It is also recognized that his intentions were good, with his intentions described as improving human, social and economic development in Cuba. He was at least partially successful at achieving this with Szulc describing his reform of health care and education as successes. This kind of reform is something any nation can only dream of achieving. There is a lot for any nation to learn here about the process of improving society.

While we may question Castro's intentions we come to see that he was an extraordinary man and a brilliant leader. While at first it seems wrong to see Castro as anything but a villain, through the book we come to understand him at least a little. There is a lesson here in understanding others and in accepting others. It is recognized that you should not view Castro based on your own standards and dismiss him as 'evil' but instead attempt to try to understand him. The same applies to acceptance and understanding as a whole. This kind of understanding is what prevents judging others and can even prevent conflicts, both small scale personal ones and conflicts between countries.