Ten Books Set in Cuba and Ten Movies Set in Cuba

Bacardi and the Long Fight for Cuba: The Biography of a Cause

Author: Tom Gjelten

Genre: Nonfiction, Historical, Food & Wine

Places Featured: Cuba

Bacardi is a well-known brand of liquor, but I never really stopped to think about where it comes from or the family behind it. In this book, NPR journalist Tom Gjetlten, shows just how close the history of Bacardi rum is with the (complicated) history of Cuba. It’s captivating and very well-researched–perfect for anyone wanting to learn more about Cuba, rum, or the way the two influence each other. (This book was included in our list of Ten Travel Books and Ten Travel Movies about Booze.)

Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life

Author: Jon Lee Anderson

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir, War & Military, Historical

Places Featured: Cuba

There are many many books about Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the revolutionary leader who has become a very popular symbol of rebellion–there are biographies, fictional novels, travelogues of writers following in his footsteps and, of course, books he wrote himself (the movie version of The Motorcycle Diaries is a travel classic and is included as an honorable mention in the list below.) We selected Jon Lee Anderson’s book here, because it is known to be well-researched and comprehensive–revealing a lot more than what many think they know.

Cuba Libre!: Che, Fidel, and the Improbable Revolution That Changed World History

Author: Tony Perrottet

Genre: Nonfiction, War & Military, Historical

Places Featured: Cuba

Most people know the basics of the Cuban Revolution led by Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in the late 1950s that changed Cuba forever–this book takes a closer look at the people behind that revolution. Not just the leaders, but also the “handful of self-taught revolutionaries–many of them kids just out of college, literature majors, and art students, and…a number of extraordinary women–who defeated 40,000 professional soldiers to overthrow the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista.” It’s well-researched and revealing.

Havana Bay: An Arkady Renko Novel

Author: Martin Cruz Smith

Genre: Fiction, Mystery/Crime

Places Featured: Cuba

Arkady Renko is a Russian detective featured in a series of nine books by Martin Cruz Smith–Havana Bay is the fourth novel in the series, but you don’t need to read the others to appreciate the exciting story of the detective being sent to Cuba to solve a murder. It’s intriguing with some great descriptions of Cuba, so it’s a nice change of pace from some of the other books featured on this list.

Next Year in Havana

Author: Chanel Cleeton

Genre: Fiction, Historical, Romance

Places Featured: Havana, Cuba

Romance, political upheaval, history, a search for a family secret, intriguing Cuba, Next Year in Havana has it all. The book shares the stories of Elisa Perez, a member of Cuba’s rich class in 1958 and her granddaughter, Marisol, who travels to Cuba in 2017 to find out more about her grandmother and her home country. By weaving together their stories, we’re given two front row seats into Cuba’s past and present–we see what real life was like before (and during) Fidel Castro’s rise to power, how the Cuban Revolution forced people to take sides, and how life ended up for both those that fled and those that stayed. Check out our Next Year in Havana book review to find out more. (We also have a Book Club Discussion Guide for Next Year in Havana –it’s great for book clubs!)

Our Man in Havana

Author: Graham Greene

Genre: Fiction, War & Military, Historical

Places Featured: Cuba

Graham Greene is a well-known English author, known for his thrillers that often included moral or political issues with heavy Catholic themes. Our Man in Havana follows these themes and mocks the British secret intelligence service, by telling the story of a poor salesman in Havana who is offered a job with MI6–even though he doesn’t know what he’s doing. (It was adapted into a well-loved movie in 1959 starring Alec Guiness, included below.)

The Dirty Havana Trilogy: A Novel in Stories

Author: Pedro Juan Gutierrez

Genre: Fiction, Short Stories

Places Featured: Havana, Cuba

This book written by Pedro Juan Gutierrez, a Cuban writer known mostly for his poetry, is banned in Cuba, but is still popular. It’s a collection of short stories about Pedro Juan, a former journalist living in Havana, and the many people he interacts with on the streets who are all struggling with life. The Dirty Havana Trilogy will certainly give you a different view of Cuba than the beaches and colorful music–it’s dark and it’s a challenging read and it can be graphic.

The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love

Author: Oscar Hijuelos

Genre: Fiction, Historical, Musical

Places Featured: New York City, United States, Havana, Cuba

We almost didn’t include this one because much of the story takes place in New York City, but music is such a vital part of Cuba and this story not only tells the story of music, but it also tells the story of Cubans adjusting to life in the United States. (The book also won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a movie, so it’s pretty good.) The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love is about two young brothers who find themselves in New York City bringing Mambo music, the music of Cuba, to America.

The Old Man and the Sea

Author: Ernest Hemingway

Genre: Fiction, Classic

Places Featured: Cuba

The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel, but it packs a powerful punch, won the Pulitzer Prize, is often studied in high school literature class, and might be Ernest Hemingway’s most famous work. It’s the story of an aging fisherman, Santiago, who struggles with a giant fish he has caught off the coast of Cuba. With that basic story it covers many themes including triumph, love, and loss.

Trading with the Enemy: A Yankee Travels Through Castro’s Cuba

Author: Tom Miller

Genre: Nonfiction, Biography/Memoir

Places Featured: Cuba

In 1987, travel writer Tom Miller visited Cuba for the first time. In 1990, he moved there for eight months. And in 1992, he shared his experiences by publishing Trading with the Enemy. The book covers a wide range of topics and experiences in the country–including some of the ones you’d expect like baseball and the Mambo Kings and some you don’t expect like food shortages and the Jewish community in Cuba.

Our Man in Havana (1959)

Rating: N/A

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Suspense

Places Featured: Havana, Cuba

Based on the novel mentioned, Our Man in Havana is a fun British spy film that was nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe. In it, Alec Guinness plays James Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman recruited by the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) to work in Havana. He doesn’t exactly know what he’s doing, so the agency sends in some help. It matches the novel well (which, as we all know, doesn’t happen often) and the scenes from 1950s Havana are so fun to watch!

The Death of a Bureaucrat / La muerte de un burócrata (1966)

Rating: N/A

Genre: Comedy

Places Featured: Cuba

The Death of a Bureaucrat is a hard movie to find, but it’s a good one–it’s a Cuban film that “pokes fun at the Communist bureaucracy and red tape and how it affects the lives of the common people.” Telling the story of a widow who has lost her husband as she attempts to claim the benefits she is entitled to and ensure she has the closure she needs. It’s a bit over the top, but it has great insight into what life was like for the Cubans as their company transitioned to a socialist society.

Strawberry and Chocolate / Fresa y Chocolate (1995)

Rating: R

Genre: Comedy, Self-Discovery/Change, Romance

Places Featured: Cuba

One of the most famous and culturally important Cuban movies of all time; on its surface, Strawberry and Chocolate is the story of a friendship between a young member of the Communist Party and a gay political activist, unhappy with the way the government approaches homosexuality. Beneath that, though, is an honest look at relationships (both romantic and friendly), Cuban society, and Cuban politics. The characters are well-developed and it’s just a good movie.

Guantanamera (1995)

Rating: N/A

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Places Featured: Cuba

Guantanamera is the sweet story of a funeral road trip as Gina must escort her dead Aunt’s body from Guantánamo to Havana. Also with her is her Aunt’s aging childhood sweetheart and Gina’s overbearing husband. Along the way, they also meet Mariano–someone with whom Gina has a romantic history… The road trip gives viewers the chance to see different parts of Cuba and the timing–the mid 1990s–was a unique time for Cuba.

Buena Vista Social Club (1999)

Rating: G

Genre: Documentary, Musical

Places Featured: Cuba

The United States and Cuba have had a strained relationship for years and travel between the two countries has often been restricted. This documentary captures the visit of the legendary Cuban music ensemble known as Buena Vista Social Club to New York City to perform at Carnegie Hall…so you not only learn about the Cuban music scene, but you also learn about the performers and what visiting the U.S. means to them. It’s a must-see for music fans.

Viva Cuba (2005)

Una Noche (2012)

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Romance

Places Featured: Havana, Cuba

While a good part of Una Noche actually takes place on a raft, it’s a powerful film that covers an important topic in Cuban culture: what life is like in the slums of Havana and the allure of fleeing to the United States. It’s the story of three teenagers making the decision to escape and search for a new and different life in Miami…and then the reality of what that kind of escape requires. The film received special attention when it’s two young stars defected themselves while in Miami to receive awards at the Tribeca Film Festival.

7 Days in Havana (2012)

Rating: N/A

Genre: Drama, Short Stories

Places Featured: Havana, Cuba

As you might expect, this film tells the story of seven days in Havana–what makes it unique is that the film is actually a collection of seven short films from seven different directors with each film representing a different day. It’s an intriguing way to see different parts of Havana ranging from a U.S. student dating a drag artist to an older woman wanting to have a fountain built in her living room. The stories don’t necessarily connect, but it’s that variety that makes it interesting.

Brothers in Exile (2014)

Rating: N/A

Genre: Documentary, Health & Fitness/Sports & Recreation

Places Featured: Cuba, United States

I should admit now that I like a good sports film and I find ESPN’s collection of sports documentaries 30 for 30 to all be well-done and intriguing. This installment, Brothers in Exile, tells the fascinating story of two Cuban half-brothers (Liván and Orlando Hernández) who both fled Cuba at separate times and in different ways, but both became successful pitchers in Major League Baseball.

Papa: Hemingway in Cuba (2015)

Rating: R

Genre: Drama, Historical

Places Featured: Havana, Cuba

Cuba played an important role in Ernest Hemingway’s life and several of his books are set there (we included his most famous one above). This movie explores the relationship between Hemingway and Havana. It is based on the true story of a young journalist who travels to Cuba to go fishing with his idol while the Cuban Revolution begins to take rise around them. It was the first Hollywood film to be filmed in Cuba since the 1959 revolution and Hemingway’s own granddaughter, Mariel, makes a cameo appearance.