over Cuba, and when this hegemony was threatened the U.S. may not have dealt with it in the best possible way, as illustrated in the above quote. It is almost as if Paterson blames the U.S. for encouraging Batistas corrupt government and allowing communist influence into Cuba. Patersons book is organized so that the introduction provides an overview of historical events, then goes into factual detail about the revolution, and finally he offers his interpretation. For his book, Patterson uses a variety sources such as unpublished and published papers and records, published foreign and domestic government records and documents, oral histories, interviews, letters, memoirs, newspapers and periodicals, and numerous secondary books and articles. He is also a History Professor at the University of Connecticut and author and editor of several books dealing with Kennedy and the Cold War and of textbooks. Patersons book is well documented and his credentials prove his research reliable. This book is well written in that it keeps the readers interest even when going into detail about the historical facts about the revolution. He provides a historiography that provides social and economic influences on the revolution and presents the events in a chronological order. What I liked about his book is that he presents a study of the U.S. influence on Cuba and the hegemonic relationship they had. He presents a bias against the U.S. not in favor of communism but in favor of Cuban sovereignty. I would recommend this book to specialists and undergraduates because it provides a different look at the revolution. However, even though this book provides historical information on Cuba, the fact that the author does present an opinion disqualifies it for use as a textbook....
