The Boys from Dolores
You may have read a book on Cuba once before, but a new release takes a completely different tack to tell a story that seems fresh in the hands of a capable writer.
This week, we examine new paperback edition of The Boys from Dolores: Fidel Castro’s Schoolmates from Revolution to Exile by Patrick Symmes.
Ostensibly, this book tracks the lives of the men who went to school at El Colegio de Dolores with Fidel Castro, years before his rebellion would change Cuba forever. El Colegio de Dolores was run by Jesuit priests as a school where the country’s future leaders could be groomed as the next generation of elites. And the book does indeed follow those men, now elderly and in various positions, inside Cuba and out. Slices of history, including the Bay of Pigs and meetings heretofore unknown, come to life in this unique tale. Stories of hope as well as despair abound. Symmes brings a realist’s eye to Cuba.
But what is interesting about this book is how much farther it goes than as a history lesson. From the pen of a truly gifted writer, The Boys from Dolores is as much about Cuba’s present as it is its past. The author shares an exuberant, colorful tale of the poorly understood island nation through the eyes of friends as well as enemies of the revolution, those who live there, as well as the first-person experience. Symmes is a consummate storyteller. Whether it is his retelling of the Carnaval experience or the operations of the government in the lives of Cuban people and tourists, his interactions with the Cuba few know are entrancing. The richness of each detail makes the book a real feast for those of you who appreciate the craft of creative writing. The Boys from Dolores is a triumphant book, well worth your time.
