Goodbye, My Havana : the Life and Times of a Gringa in Revolutionary Cuba

An eyewitness account of idealism, self-discovery, and loss under one of the twentieth-century's most repressive political regimes Set against a backdrop of world-changing events during the headiest years of the Cuban Revolution, Goodbye, My Havana follows young Connie Veltfort as her once relatively privileged life among a community of anti-imperialist expatriates turns to progressive disillusionment and heartbreak. The consolidation of Castro's position brings violence, cruelty, and betrayal to Connie's doorstep. And the crackdown that ultimately forces her family and others to flee for their lives includes homosexuals among its targets--Connie's coming-of-age story is one also about the dangers of coming out. Looking back with a mixture of hardheaded clarity and tenderness at her alter ego and a forgotten era, with this gripping graphic memoir Anna Veltfort takes leave of the past even as she brings neglected moments of the Cold War into the present. "A compelling graphic novel-memoir of the author's decade or so experiences as a gringa teenager brought to Cuba by parents supportive of the revolution and ultimately forced to flee during the political crackdowns that consolidated Castro's power and that, for lesbians and homosexuals, were harrowing in a particular kind of way"-- Provided by publisher __Goodbye, My Havana__ is the gripping story of everyday life, love, and sexual persecution during the early years of the Cuban Revolution as lived and seen through the eyes of a young German-American student, the lesbian daughter of American Communists who worked there for the government. Cover Contents 1 Havana Bay 2 The University of Havana 3 The Sierra Maestra 4 “Morgan!” & the Malecón 5 The Revolutionary Offensive 6 A Family Visit 7 The Last Ship Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes & Sources