{"product_id":"the-yankee-comandante-9781493050208","title":"The Yankee Comandante","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eWilliam Morgan, a tough-talking ex-paratrooper, stunned family and friends when in 1957 he left Ohio to join freedom fighters in the mountains of Cuba. He led one band of guerrillas, and Che Guevara another, and together they swept through the country, ultimately forcing corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista from power. In just a year of fighting, the American revolutionary had altered the landscape of the Cold War. But Morgan believed they were fighting to liberate Cuba. Then Fidel Castro canceled elections, seized properties, and imprisoned Morgan's fellow freedom fighters. Even Morgan's own house mysteriously blew up. But \u003ci\u003eThe Comandante\u003c\/i\u003e is about more than just the revolution. It's the story of two people in love, pressured by government agents and mobsters vying to control a nation that soon brought the world to the brink of nuclear destruction. In the mountains, Morgan met Olga Rodriguez, a beautiful, fiery nurse, whom he soon married. Together, amid their firestorm r\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e***starred review***A nonfiction account of an unlikely American hero in revolutionary Cuba that succeeds as both a thriller and a love story. While working at the Toledo Blade, Miami Herald reporter Sallah and AP reporter Weiss. . . .met a remarkable woman living in Toledo, a Cuban émigré and former political prisoner whose story inspired another newspaper series and this book. When she was Olga Maria Rodriguez, she had fallen in love with and married a man who initially didn't even speak her language, an American named William Morgan who had found purpose in his difficult, directionless life by joining the revolutionary forces in Cuba to overthrow Fulgencio Batista. His experience in the U.S. Army had ended with him going AWOL, but his superior military skills helped him overcome the distrust of his Cuban comrades and earn the admiration of the country's citizenry, who were \"hailing him as a hero of a revolution that was about the change the course of history.\" Yet there was tension in the revolutionary forces between Morgan's Second Front and Fidel Castro's 26th of July Movement, as the former remained committed to liberating the country and holding elections while the latter was consolidating power and turning the new government into a communist dictatorship. Even greater complications ensued as Morgan was recruited for a plot to assassinate Castro, turned double agent by revealing the plot to the targeted dictator while continuing to play along, and ultimately found himself stripped of his American citizenship and imprisoned by the Cuban government. His widow's memories help humanize a complicated and conflicted man whose story sheds fresh light on the pivotal period in U.S.-Cuban relations. Beyond the political implications and entanglements, the story engrosses with its fast-paced, plainspoken narrative. * Kirkus *\u003cbr\u003eA work of classic journalism, a compelling narrative that is a combination of interviews, documents, and news accounts form the time. . . .The stakes are many and real, the characters are compelling, and the shifting allegiances make for effective suspense. This is a good story told well, making The Yankee Comandante a worthy read. * Foreword Reviews *\u003cbr\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eTiger Force\u003c\/i\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eTiger Force \u003c\/i\u003eadds a graphic, frightening dimension to our knowledge of ourselves. It is bound to be read far into the future.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e Book World\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Sallah and Weiss have done the American public a service by piecing together this story. ... This is one shining example of how journalism can fulfill its most noble aims: informing and consquently empowering the public.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Riveting.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eDever Post\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“A troubling yet gripping exposé ... The authors recount the disturbing details in a direct, journalistic style that makes it difficult to put the book down.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eColumbus Dispatch\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“An engrossing story that will fill the reader with both horror and shame.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eWisconsin State Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e“Sobering and relevant ... The authors vividly convey the demanding environment in which the soldiers had to survive. ... Timely reading.”\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eAmerican Heritage\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"A compelling, chilling story ... a primer on journalistic technique, the narrative drawn from firsthand accounts ... The result is one of the most important books on the Vietnam War.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eBookmarks \u003c\/i\u003emagazine\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A vital and damning glimpse at what really goes on behind the wartime headlines.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eMetro\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An outstanding book ... In the best tradition of investigative journalism, the authors let the story speak for itself.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Searing ... Difficult to put down ... Highly recommended.\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Rowman \u0026 Littlefield","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50515868647767,"sku":"9781493050208","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781493050208.jpg?v=1745428112","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-yankee-comandante-9781493050208","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}