“MARION AND TOMLINSON ARE AT IT AGAIN, IN CUBA. SUSPENSE, HUMOR, DESCRIBING SOUNDS YOU ACTUALLY THINK YOU HEAR YOURSELF AND SMELLS AND SIGHTS LIKE YOU ARE THERE WITH THEM. RANDY WAYNE WHITE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT US WITH HIS INSIGHTS OF CUBA OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY. BRILLIANT WRITING.” –AMAZON REVIEWER An excerpt: At an afternoon game, near the bullpen in Havana’s Grand Stadium, Gen. Rivera said to Ford, “That is a dangerous subject here. Even now. Every Cuban has heard the same rumor, but few believe because, well, they don’t want to believe.” After relighting a cigar, he amended, “Every Cuban born before the days of JFK, anyway.” What Ford had said was “Some myths die hard,” an oblique reference to a fact: Fidel Castro had never played baseball. Not even high school baseball. Yet, the legend he had been offered a contract by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Washington Senators was still parroted by U.S Writers, broadcasters, even historians. “Everyone's talking about Cuba. Most of us have never been there but our fascination for the island and it's people grows stronger each day knowing change is coming sooner than later. ‘Cuba Straits’ gave me a rare glimpse into this other-worldly place.” Amazon Reviewer Randy Wayne White has written 24 Doc Ford novels. Mangrove Lightning is his latest installment. He is a veteran fishing guide and lives on Sanibel Island, Florida. You can purchase Cuba Straits in most bookstores and on Amazon.com Jonathan Herbert is an award-winning writer who grew up in Englewood. His third novel, “Chasing Palms,” was recognized at the William Faulkner Literary competition. You can follow him at Twitter@herbertnovels or online at herbertnovels.com July/August 2017 GASPARILLA ISLAND 15 Cuba to find the remnants of the Little League teams founded by Ernest Hemingway in the days before Castro, won the Best of the Fest Award from the 2002 Woods Hole Film Festival, then was bought by PBS and broadcast station by station in the spring and summer of 2003.” Randy explained even further. "Bill ‘Spaceman’ Lee and I have been taking baseball equipment to Cuba since 1992,” he explained. “Our documentary titled Gift of the Game portrays our experiences playing baseball in Cuba. Spaceman Lee is one of the most generous men I know. We would visit farm country in Western Cuba and he'd let country folks beat him at baseball ... and he's an ex-major leaguer." Many writers search for places to write about. Some may visit once or twice and rely on Google for their research and accuracy of people and places. Often times their subject matter is a oneshot deal, a prelude to the next destination. Not in this case. The island’s political intrigue and complex ideologies form the foundation for world-class fishing, a passion for baseball at every age, and people that are as patriotic about their country as we American’s are about ours. Key West to Havana Harbor is about 90 miles but has felt like 1,000 miles for decades. This book will bring you closer to Cuba in an unexpected way. "It's an American Irony that the game we loved as children still exists and is alive in Cuba,” Randy said. “All of our lives we've been told these people are our enemies ... not in those villages."
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