Fidel; A Biography of Fidel Castro

New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1986. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xii, [2], 332, [6] pages. Illustrations. Chapter Notes. Bibliography. Index. DJ somewhat worn, soiled, edge tears/chips. Peter G. Bourne (born 1939 in Oxford, England) is a physician, anthropologist, author and international civil servant with experience in several senior government positions. He is currently a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Green Templeton College, Oxford, Vice-Chancellor Emeritus at St. George's University in Grenada and chair of the Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba (MEDICC). Under Jimmy Carter, Bourne was appointed Special Assistant to the President for Health Issues and Director of the Office of Drug Abuse Policy (ODAP), the predecessor of the current Office of National Drug Control Policy. In 1979, Bourne became an Assistant Secretary-General at the United Nations, where he established and ran the "International Drinking Water and Sanitation Decade," a 10-year program that would provide clean drinking water to more than 500 million people worldwide. Derived from Publishers' Weekly: Bourne, a psychiatrist with experience in numerous government posts, was granted access to Cuban government archives and talked with many people who have worked closely with Castro. The result, in addition to being a first-class chronological biography, provides insight into the Cuban leader's psyche, especially in regard to his lifelong identification with his father, the influence of his Catholic upbringing, and the extent to which his support of revolutionary causes outside Cuba can be seen as tied to psychological needs. This first full biography of Castro in 15 years presents new material about the Bay of Pigs and the 1962 missile crisis as seen from the Cuban point of view. One of the book's many surprises is the revelation of the depth of Cuban resentment over Khrushchev's failure to involve Cuba in the settlement of the missile crisis. Bourne also traces Castro's recent emergence as a mediator rather than protagonist in Third World conflicts. Condition: Good / Good.

Keywords: Fulgencio Batista, Bay of Pigs, Guerrilla Warfare, Che Guevara, Isle of Pines, Political Prisoners, Cuba, Moncada Barracks, Fidel Castro, Communism, Exiles, Revolutionary Movement, 26 of July Movement

ISBN: 0396085180

[Book #53174]

Price: $35.00