To Die in Cuba

“Beautifully-written, well-organized, and thoroughly researched. . . . Undoubtedly an important work for anyone interested in Cuban society and culture.” — Florida Historical Quarterly

“[A] well-argued and fascinating book that speaks to historians and suicide experts. . . . A provocative study that makes an important contribution to the history of suicide.” — Bulletin of the History of Medicine

“Provides the reader with a valuable insight into the mindset of Cubans and helps to explain a previously unexplored aspect of Cuban history. . . . A surprisingly enjoyable read and should be read by those interested in Latin America, regardless of their academic discipline.” — Journal of Third World Studies

“[A] thought-provoking, informative, and elegant study. It is — controversy and all — a brilliant cultural history of suicide in the Cuban national imaginary.” — American Historical Review

“Provocative and culturally penetrating. . . . [Filled] with clarity of purpose and lucid prose. . . . The product of prodigious research and insightful analysis. . . . It should be mandatory reading for scholars and students of Cuban history, Caribbean history, Latin American cultural history, and, more broadly, historians interested in national identity.” — New West Indian Guide

“This important book both illuminates the place of suicide in Cuban society and offers an innovative reexamination of Cuban nationalism. . . . [An] extraordinarily valuable contribution to our understanding of Cuban culture and politics.” — National Period

“Perez is an incomparably original historian of Cuba. . . . Cuba has long been understood to have had a violent history, and Perez’s concentration on Cuban suicide gives an important new dimension to this sorry story.” — Journal of Latin American Studies

“[To Die in Cuba] has the breadth and verve of a journalistic account that can make it accessible and interesting to a general audience. . . . To Die in Cuba is a straightforward social and cultural overview of forms of self-death throughout the island’s history, with a focus on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.” — The Americas

“For deeper insights into the suicidal nature of Cuban politics, there is no greater resource than Perez’s To Die in Cuba. Writing what he calls ‘a study of the Cuban way of death,’ Perez answers the riddle as to why Cubans have the highest rate of suicide in Latin America and among the highest in the world. But Perez’s work goes further, illuminating Cuban culture and its unforgiving, scorched-earth politics. . . . Perez [is] an astute and prolific writer on all things Cuban.” — Washington Post Book World

“[Perez’s] method of narrating this complex prevalence historically and sociologically is impressive and relentless. . . . Perez fills in the background to his convincing take on Cuban history with tables and statistics; he packs in anecdotes from a multiplicity of sources that range from novels to suicide notes to travel accounts and boleros, and links them with his coherent and logical summaries. . . . His survey is grim and pertinent today, revealing how suicide was intrinsic to the revolutionary ethos.” — Times Literary Supplement