Red Heat

Conspiracy, Murder, and the Cold War in the Caribbean

De: Alex von Tunzelmann

Narrado por: Sarah Coomes

The Caribbean crises of the Cold War are revealed as never before in this riveting story of clashing ideologies, the rise of the politics of fear, the machinations of superpowers, and the brazen daring of the mavericks who took them on.

During the presidencies of Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson, the Caribbean was in crisis. The men responsible included, from Cuba, the charismatic Fidel Castro and his mysterious brother Ral; from Argentina, the ideologue Che Guevara; from the Dominican Republic, the capricious psychopath Rafael Trujillo; and from Haiti, Franois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, a buttoned-down doctor with interests in Vodou, embezzlement, and torture.

Alex von Tunzelmann's brilliant narrative follows these five rivals and accomplices from the beginning of the Cold War to its end, each with a separate vision for his tropical paradise, and each in search of power and adventure as the United States and the USSR acted out the world's tensions in their island nations. The superpowers thought they could use Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as puppets, but what neither bargained on was that their puppets would come to life. Red Heat is an intimate account of the strong-willed men who, armed with little but words and ruthlessness, took on the most powerful nations on earth.

©2011 Alex Von Tunzelmann (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

"[A] mesmerizing, Conradian tale where the truth is almost too dark to bear. A remarkably gripping popular history." ( Kirkus)

"Von Tunzelmann’s diligent work will widen the eyes of cold war buffs.” ( Booklist)

Epic, sweeping & meticulously researched saga

Epic, sweeping & meticulously researched saga of the tumultuous 20th century history of the Caribbean islands. Alex puts in lot of hard work in writing the history for her readers. And it shows. Also I love the fact that she is able to bring out the human nature of the historical figures, instead of just making them dry caricatures. We are all human and sometimes it best to understand history within the context of the frailties and pitfalls of human nature. The sequence describing the tantrum thrown by Papa Doc when his daughter went off with her disgraced husband is an excellent example of this type of historical narrative.

My only grudge is that this is really 3 books combined in one - History of Cuba, that of Haiti & of the Dominican Republic. Although intertwined, each would have made a compelling narrative on its own. I felt towards the end not enough justice was done to telling the story of Castro & to some extent Che. At one point I got on Netflix and watched a documentary on Castro which gave me lot more information.

That doesn't take away at all from the compelling nature of this book. It should be required reading for any student of Caribbean history. And a pleasurable, informative and fascinating read for any history buff.

The audible narrative is also pleasant and the reader captures the spirit of the book well, along with her emphasis on French pronunciations which makes it even more interesting.

Thanks Alex for another wonderful historical read (following Indian summer)

Well-Done But Hard to Take

It took me a while to get through this book. It is a sorry story of American involvement in the Caribbean. Yet, it is well done, and it appears to be accurate. I wish our current politicians understood this.

Many Names Were Hurt

A very good historical overview that taught me quite a few things about the country where I grew up (the Dominican Republic) and the one my parents were exiled from (Cuba). Unfortunately, the narration was dismal. Though she could pronounce French names well enough, I have seldom heard someone so consistently nutcher Spanish ones. And under French rule the island was called Saint Domingue, not “Saint Dominique”! This book deserves a better performance.

Fascinating history, badly narrated

If you are interested in recent history of Latin America and the US, you'll probably enjoy this well researched book on Cold War conflict between the US, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The author's case that it's necessary to look at all these countries together is quite convincing and novel (for me, anyway). She provides fascinating detail and insight into the principal players, from Toussaint l'Ouverture all the way down to Fidel Castro and including the Kennedys and the sinister Papa Doc. She also makes the important point that knee-jerk anti-Communism in the US provoked irrational reactions to nationalist (non-Communist) movements in the Caribbean, setting the stage for military dictatorships in the region. Experts as well as the general public will, I think, enjoy this book. However, a major drawback is Sarah Coome's narration. I generally like the English accent, but she overdoes the pauses and lilts. Her horrendous pronunciation of names in Spanish and French turned me off completely. I don't expect a narrator of Latin American history to speak French or Spanish well, but I do expect her to get advice on not mispronouncing hames in these languages in the egregious manner of Sarah Coomes.

The ignorance and idiocy of rabid anti-communism

The book starts out slow, but gains steam about a third of the way. It's a quite comprehensive and uncompromising account of colonialist imperialism, revolution and counter-revolution. And none of the primary players emerge unscathed. Despite Castro taking top billing by virtue of his face on the cover, Duvalier and Trujillo share the spotlight in Caribbean intrigues. But even with that, the overriding theme of this book is highlighting the short-sighted and reactionary U.S. policy of anti-communism. It's not a new idea, but just gives support to the idea that these efforts to prop up right wing dictators and otherwise pliable stooges in the region, in order to secure Pax Americana at any cost, did more harm than good. As for the performance, I can only suppose the narrator was chosen for her ability to convey a strident revolutionary tone. Personally, I would have preferred a more, let's say, euphonious voice, over this rather harsh one. Still, quite an entertaining and informative book, but not great.