WHAT'S IT LIKE TO LIVE IN CUBA NOW? JULIA COOKE'S EXPERIENTIAL " THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE" REVEALS THE NEW CUBA

NPR : WHATS LIFE IN THE NEW CUBA REALLY LIKE

Now that Fidel Castro's dictatorship has been taking over for a few years by his brother Raul Castro, and time has gone by, enough to open relationships between Cuba and the United States, one does wonder what it would be like to visit in Cuba... or even LIVE there!

Is it as impoverished as we hear? 

How do people get out of Cuba?  Who has to stay?  Are artists special?  

One thing I learned from this book is that there are tourists from all over the world who visit Cuba today, and that the tourists bring money to spend with them. money that is much needed.  The Communist lifestyle has guaranteed people good educations and medical care, though there are sometimes shortages of certain foods.  Maybe only the tourist areas have gotten a paint job.  Is the Communist Experiment that is Cuba a success or failure?  Would you give up the risks of Capitalism for life in this country?

Some Cubans  leave the country to work but they must come back, and apartments are difficult to get, so if you're not careful, some distant relative may show up for a visit and just never leave.

I enjoyed Julia Cooke's book and if you're in the reading mood around CUBA, as I have been, you'll find this another perspective to consider.