Havana

Between 1957 and 1959 many Cubans knew something was wrong with the government, but with a strong economy in Havana they could easily ignore it. In August 1958, the U.S. Embassy described Cuba as increasingly divided between Batista and Castro's revolutionary opposition, with a large majority of Cubans in between the two camps. The Embassy believed that Batista did not have majority support of the people, at the same time, however, it described a strong military front and believed that Batista's government might continue for some time. This is the story of Colonel Cosme A. Varas, known to many simply as Vara. Behind every revolution are ordinary men and women whose lives are suddenly swept into events far greater than themselves. Before the revolution, Vara was a military man, a husband, a father, and a person with a life that extended far beyond uniforms, orders, and politics. He had a family to protect, responsibilities to fulfill, and a future that, like so many others, seemed to follow a predictable path. Then Cuba began to change. What started as political unrest gradually became something much larger. The country slipped into uncertainty, and the familiar boundaries between soldier, citizen, father, and participant in history began to disappear. Events that once seemed distant suddenly found their way into Vara's daily life. Decisions that might once have been made calmly became matters of urgency. Friends became divided. Loyalties were questioned. The future became impossible to predict. Vara found himself increasingly drawn into the center of it all. He did not simply watch the revolution unfold from a distance. He became a participant in its chaos, surrounded by the tension, uncertainty, and dangerous decisions that defined those turbulent years. Based on true accounts and extensive historical research, this compelling narrative brings the Cuban Revolution to life and reveals how the decisions of the past continue to shape the world we live in today.