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My Life: A Spoken Autobiography

by Fidel Castro , Ignacio Ramonet

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 1,257 ratings · 77 reviews

Fidel Castro is perhaps the most charismatic and controversial head of state in modern times. A dictatorial pariah to some, he has become a hero and inspiration for many of the world's poor, defiantly charting an independent and revolutionary path for Cuba over nearly half a century.Numerous attempts have been made to get Castro to tell his own story. But only now, in the Fidel Castro is perhaps the most charismatic and controversial head of state in modern times. A dictatorial pariah to some, he has become a hero and inspiration for many of the world's poor, defiantly charting an independent and revolutionary path for Cuba over nearly half a century.Numerous attempts have been made to get Castro to tell his own story. But only now, in the twilight of his years, has he been prepared to set out the details of his remarkable biography for the world to read. This book is nothing less than his living testament. As he told reporters, his desire to finish checking its text was the one thing that kept him going through his recent illness. He presented a copy of the book in its Spanish edition to his compadre President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

In these pages, Castro narrates a compelling chronicle that spans the harshness of his elementary school teachers; the early failures of the revolution; his intense comradeship with Che Guevara and their astonishing, against-all-odds victory over the dictator Batista; the Cuban perspective on the Bay of Pigs and the ensuing missile crisis; the active role of Cuba in African independence movements (especially its large military involvement in fighting apartheid South Africa in Angola); his relations with prominent public figures such as Boris Yeltsin, Pope John Paul II, and Saddam Hussein; and his dealings with no less than ten successive American presidents, from Eisenhower to George W. Bush.

Castro talks proudly of increasing life expectancy in Cuba (now longer than in the United States); of the half million students in Cuban universities; and of the training of seventy thousand Cuban doctors nearly half of whom work abroad, assisting the poor in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. He is confronted with a number of thorny issues, including democracy and human rights, discrimination toward homosexuals, and the continuing presence of the death penalty on Cuban statute books. Along the way he shares intimacies about more personal matters: the benevolent strictness of his father, his successful attempt to give up cigars, his love of Ernest Hemingway's novels, and his calculation that by not shaving he saves up to ten working days each year.

Drawing on more than one hundred hours of interviews with Ignacio Ramonet, a knowledgeable and trusted interlocutor, this spoken autobiography will stand as the definitive record of an extraordinary life lived in turbulent times. ...more

Hardcover , 724 pages

Published January 8th 2008 by Scribner (first published January 1st 2006)

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May 28, 2011 Eddie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have the utmost respect for Fidel. His memory is fantastic and the way he describes various battles and the strategies the 26th of July utilized in the revolution. His memories of Che and Fidel's discussion of ethics both in war and in peace are exemplary. This book was completed in 2005 and many things have changed since then but the interviews can stand alone at any age.

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Jan 16, 2009 Ed rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommends it for: someone with a lot of time to kill

I read this book at the request of a friend who thought it might be good for a me since, in his opinion, my perspective was too pro-US. Whatever, but I thought it might be interesting. Whatever one thinks about Castro, he certainly was present for some interesting things in history. And I knew very little about Cuban history, so what the hey?

In several ways the book is really fascinating. I do have a bit more sympathy for Castro having read this. It seems that, for all his wrong ideas, he probab I read this book at the request of a friend who thought it might be good for a me since, in his opinion, my perspective was too pro-US. Whatever, but I thought it might be interesting. Whatever one thinks about Castro, he certainly was present for some interesting things in history. And I knew very little about Cuban history, so what the hey?

In several ways the book is really fascinating. I do have a bit more sympathy for Castro having read this. It seems that, for all his wrong ideas, he probably was trying to do what he thought was best for Cuba. Anyway, the book...

First of all - it's long and reads like a long book. The bulk of the book is just the transcript of a several day-long interview between Ramonet and Castro. At several points in the book they pat themselves on the back for having the stamina to keep going and I felt like they should be also patting me on the back for the same reason. I can understand why some people were so eager to leave Cuba - it was probably to avoid having to listen to Castro drone on about stuff.

But seriously, there were some riveting parts. For example, the description of the Cuban missile crisis. Castro, it turns out, was very much in disagreement with Kruschev about how to handle that. Who knew? Also, it was really cool to hear about the defense of the bay of pigs invasion from the Cuban perspective. And the whole episode of Jimmy Carter's visit was fascinating. Between these interesting parts, though, there is a ton of Castro showing off how much detail he holds in his head about sugar production, how many doctors they educate, and a gazillion other minutiae that are quite boring to read.

The most valuable thing I took away from this book is a deeper understanding of what's wrong with Castro and his perspective. My image of him before was as a self-indulgent, radical, oppressive dictator. Now I view him as a self-indulgent, semi-radical oppressive dictator who was misguidedly trying to do the right thing for his people.

Perhaps the crux of his misguided view of the US was revealed when he described Kennedy's creation of the Peace Corps. He called this an "anti-revolutionary" group, designed to gain sympathy for the US amongst people of the third world. I was in the Peace Corps. Nobody, myself included, was motivated at all by their feelings about communist revolution, pro or con. Castro's otherwise impressive mind seems to live within some constrains where everything is either for or against the movement.

...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Tanya Faberson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic book. I definitely recommend it as an interesting read about one of the most fascinating leaders in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. And shame on the United States government. Even before I heard what Fidel's perspective as Cuba's leader of the Revolution had to say, I was disgusted by what we, as the American people backing our government, have perpetrated against Cuba. And I still don't understand why we allow the Ex-pats in Florida to still run the show when it comes to our ...more

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Feb 05, 2013 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got through 3/4's of this book before I lost it, and I really enjoyed reading about Fidel's life. The author did not hold back during his interviews (because he is supposedly Anti-Castro), and a lot of his questions opened up many discussion topics throughout the book. I ended up admiring Castro a lot more after reading the book because I think Castro is what Cuba needed (which is a Latin-American country that was not "controlled" by foreign interests).

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Jan 07, 2009 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book took me forever to get through. SOmetimes I read pages and realized I spent the whole time actually thinking about dinner and I had no idea what happened. It read more like Castro's tidy record keeping than a thrilling life story. He remembers every insignificant detail which is good but also really bad if you want to be entertained.

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May 10, 2011 Abul Kalam rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really wanted to like this book, but when it says his life, it meant to say the first chapter his childhood the rest of the book was about Cuban Polatics. This was the single most boring book i have ever read in my life, i havent read many but this was the most boring............ oh its also in question and answer form all the way through

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Aug 02, 2011 Gmesfin added it

An extraordinary life of a person who lived to stand up for the life of the opperessed even if he was born in a rich family. Whether you agree or disagree his politics, you can't deny his geniune selflesness.

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Feb 24, 2015 Mika Harjula rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Such a charismatic and genuine book by the influential Fidel Castro. There is so much history of the Cuban revolution that has been relived to me. Understandable is the subjective approach by the author. It’s a book based on strong ideological beliefs and opinions of policy-making, society and utopianism portrayed with enthusiasm and dramatically.

The book is written in an interview sort-of-book: stories told by Castro based on questions by Ignacio Ramonet , which I’m not happy with. Too many repe Such a charismatic and genuine book by the influential Fidel Castro. There is so much history of the Cuban revolution that has been relived to me. Understandable is the subjective approach by the author. It’s a book based on strong ideological beliefs and opinions of policy-making, society and utopianism portrayed with enthusiasm and dramatically.

The book is written in an interview sort-of-book: stories told by Castro based on questions by Ignacio Ramonet , which I’m not happy with. Too many repeats that should have been narrowed down to a narrative story. There is a feeling of a pre-presentation of the questions handed to Castro. The questions are too perfectly answered. No one can have that much information about the world, history, events and politicians he describes throughout the book. I could be wrong though, perhaps Fidel is a living encyclopedia. It would have been interesting to know about more the format of the interviews. There is some information about it, but only to be referred to 'when and for how long'.

Fidel Castro is sure what Kurt Vonnegut is to anaphoras, as I told you , we talked that issue , I told you already and 'so it goes' throughout the book. I found that a as disturbing element, until a point it actually became funny.

One doesn't even have to political interested to like this book. Politics can be but aside. There is a feeling of opportunity and enthusiasm mixed with humor and tragic. Castro really gives himself to others.
...more

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Jan 22, 2015 Vanessa Fuller rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a last minute discussion with my husband before we went on our long-overdue holiday to visit family and friends in Cuba, I decided to toss in this book for beach reading. What place could be more fitting to read this mammoth autobiography than the beaches of Cuba?

I do not regret that decision. Whilst I certainly do not agree with all of Fidel's philosophical leanings, and I strongly object so some bits of details in his book regarding policies and practices within Cuba and its government, I ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Saoirse go Deo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Coming to this book I knew relatively little about Cuba beyond a superficial understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the American blockade of the nation. This book as not aimed at someone like myself as it presumes a certain familiarity with the subject.

However I found it to be a fascinating read, Fidel's pride, rightfully so, at Cuba's achievements such as the level of education in Cuba, the health services etc really shines through. These achievements following the revolution are perhaps Coming to this book I knew relatively little about Cuba beyond a superficial understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis and the American blockade of the nation. This book as not aimed at someone like myself as it presumes a certain familiarity with the subject.

However I found it to be a fascinating read, Fidel's pride, rightfully so, at Cuba's achievements such as the level of education in Cuba, the health services etc really shines through. These achievements following the revolution are perhaps even more impressive then the very acts of revolution themselves, the actual war to topple Fulgencio Batista. Castro's description of same as well as that of his fellow revolutionaries such as Che Guevara are compulsive reading.

Castro's account of the Cuban missile crisis is fascinating as is his description of Cuba's actions on an international stage such as their interventions in Africa which helped topple apartheid, something to which I shall have to devote further study.

Castro himself is a fascinating character, and this book is as close as most of us will ever get to speaking to the man. His account of his formative years is very valuable - he speaks of his childhood, his motivations, inspirations and heroes - what helped sculpt his political and social outlook. The picture which emerges is one of a dedicated, work obsessed, caring man of unshakable confidence and conviction in his work. His internationalist outlook, typified by Cuba's response of sending doctors to assist following various disasters, is particularly commendable.

The format of the book is not that of a conventional biography but rather takes of the form of a marathon interview session, the translation is excellent and the narrative flows well.

Unfortunately while there is much discussion in general terms of the social and economic reforms implemented by the socialist government (and the results of same) the book does not so much go into the specifics of same or rather what they meant for the ordinary man or woman behind the admittedly impressive statistics. But then again this is Castro's story.

As I said at the outset of this review this book is ideal for someone looking to further their knowledge of Cuba and its socialist revolution - it is not an ideal starting point. However it has certainly whetted my appetite and the book is surely one which I will reread many times in the future as I become more familiar with the events, characters politics and ideologies Castro offers his opinion on. ...more

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May 26, 2014 Nathaniel James rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can honestly say that this is one of the most interesting and fascinating books I have ever read. It is not really a biography, but an interview – Castro’s longest and last – in which Ramonet covers his entire life from childhood to the present (2005). Although Ramonet is an avowed socialist himself and has known Castro for many years, he pulls few punches in tackling not only personal questions, but also the many allegations and accusations made against Cuba over the decades.

Say what you will I can honestly say that this is one of the most interesting and fascinating books I have ever read. It is not really a biography, but an interview – Castro’s longest and last – in which Ramonet covers his entire life from childhood to the present (2005). Although Ramonet is an avowed socialist himself and has known Castro for many years, he pulls few punches in tackling not only personal questions, but also the many allegations and accusations made against Cuba over the decades.

Say what you will of Fidel Castro, one accusation that cannot be seriously leveled against him is that he was ignorant. I would even go so far as to say that he may be one of the most intelligent, informed and observant statesmen of the twentieth century. It is easy to forget that Castro came to power over half a century ago in an era defined by the unbridled and often brutal exercise of dominance over the region by the United States and its economic interests, a country intoxicated by its own meteoric rise to power and no less determined to have its way. Much of what the world “knows” about Cuba and its recent history has been promulgated by US policy toward the island, which remains obstinately rigid to this day and has resulted in many egregious acts of state-sponsored violence against the government in Havana, of which the Bay of Pigs invasion is perhaps the most well know, but by no means the only, or the last. To understand Cuba and Castro’s role as its leader, one must at least bear these circumstances in mind.

In many ways, Cuba is more a victim of Europe’s failed experiments with the tenants of Marxism than a collaborator in them, a country that, until the fall of the Soviet Union, walked a tightrope between the dogmatic totalitarianism of that system and the self-destructive consumer capitalism of its giant neighbor to the north. The evils of the former have long since condemned it to ruin, while the evils of the later are only now becoming painstakingly apparent. Caught in the middle, the continued survival of Cuba as a devout socialist state might be seen as something of a miracle. But Cuba is no North Korea. Far from it. To understand why and just how different it really is one must take in the full scope of events which led to the revolution and all that has transpired since. This book does a brilliant job of painting that picture, while also introducing you to the man and the motives which have carried it forward.

I am no socialist. Nor am I a capitalist. My own political philosophy is rooted squarely in the belief that sane human beings can adopt and mould to their needs any system on offer, while mad men will invariably corrupt all that is laid before them and turn it into a tyranny by whatever means necessary. Political systems are little more than ideals. It is what men do with them that counts. In this light, what Cuba chooses to call itself is really just a coincidence of history. Far more interesting is what has been done in the name of those ideals and what it has led to. I am no apologist for the wrongs committed by, and in the name of, the Cuban revolution. But nor am I going to fall victim to the belief that the United States is right to have waged a brutal economic war against the nation (much of it falling squarely into to the general definition of terrorism) on a technicality as meaningless as political identity. The truth is that we will never know what might have become of Cuba had it been allowed to develop on a level playing field. It might have fallen alongside the Soviet Union, it might have beat China to the chase and become a major economic force in the region, who knows? What I will say is that under the stewardship of Castro, it would at least have had a fair chance at something worthwhile and far less bloody, a chance made impossible by the circumstances of the time.

I admit that I was frustrated on several occasions by the constant accusations leveled against the United States (the “Empire”). After all, it is a hallmark of totalitarian regimes to point to the existence of an “eternal” enemy as a justification for the restriction of freedom. The difference here, however, is that the enemy in question, the United States, was real and every bit as menacing as it was portrait. By 1961 there was no longer even any need to hold up the threat of invasion because the invasion had already come and been successfully repulsed. The problem is that the US, in its determined efforts to topple the Cuban government by the same violent means it had come to power, and by engaging in the very same covert acts of infiltration, sabotage and assassination that it accused the Castro government of, the lines are constantly blurred. Nor does it help that while all this was playing out, the US toppled several popular revolutions and elected heads of state in the region, only to replace them with brutally repressive and often murderous regimes willing to support US interests while exercising no less repression over their people than the Cuban’s were accused of. In light of this, one can but wonder if the what Castro was really guilty of was totalitarianism, or simply totalitarianism of the wrong kind.

It is of course up to readers what they choose to make of this book. For my part I can only urge you to read it. If nothing else, it will give you a different perspective on events, something no serious student of history should deny themselves. ...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Brian Badonde rated it 4 of 5 stars

An awesome tome on an awesome man, love him or hate him, he is a giant of politics and a great man with extraordinary abilities. Though this book does seem awash with propaganda (there has never been any torture in Cuba reminds me of "no homosexuals in Iran"), it is easy to see through them and it serves as a great insight into a great mind. However, with Fidel now writing his own memoirs, I would rather wait and buy them.

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