Trading With the Enemy: A Yankee Travels Through Castro's Cuba

by Tom Miller

Release Date: June, 1996

Edition: Paperback

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Essentially a travelogue & diary

Miller concentrates on the people he meets and keeps away from politics.

The result is an entertaining account of his extended visit to Cuba including the time he spent in Havana and travelling throughout the country.

I found the book puts a more humanizing face on the country that is always dominated by coverage of Castro and his policies.

For me, this book is a good companion to Buena Vista Social Club in providing a non-political view of Cuba and Cubans.

Good if dated introduction

I'm surprised at the dislike some reviewers have expressed towards this book. True, its dated picture of 1992-era Cuba does not ring entirely true compared to the country one sees today: more and more marked by tourism everyday. But Miller's funny, flowing writing style and encounters with everyone from literati to farmers to hustlers are rendered in an intelligent and observant way. His 'digressive' style of writing actually serves the material quite well, and preserves a chatty familiarity that does justice to what this is: a travel diary. It's a lot more astute than most of them.