This Is Cuba: An American Journalist Under Castro's Shadow

Photojournalist Ariosto spent 2009…10 on assignment in Havana, Cuba, and has regularly returned to the country ever since. His accounts are part memoir, part reflection of a broken country still under the sway of Cold War beliefs despite recent signs of economic and social recovery after the overtures of President Obama's efforts to restore U.S.-Cuba relations in 2014. Ariosto sees few differences between Cuban leaders Fidel and Raúl Castro. Even with the return of American tourists and improved Wi-Fi, the transition to economic and cultural opportunity is still in flux and the Cuban future uncertain. A chapter on the black market, or shadow economy, holds little promise for the country's success. As one pensioner who fought under the Cuban flag in Angola states, "in Cuba you don't live but survive—on $13 a month." Ariosto's work is at times chilling, but with a touch of nostalgia and humor.