{"product_id":"the-hidden-island-9781632462091","title":"The Hidden Island","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Abraham Jiménez Enoa writes like an angel and has an impressively keen social radar...He's an exceptional interlocutor, and, for readers of this unmissable book, he's an empathic, sincere guide to his Cuba, a country as beautiful and beloved as it is sad and unjust.\"--\u003cb\u003eJon Lee Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe work of one of the most powerful new voices in independent Cuban journalism, \u003ci\u003eThe Hidden Island \u003c\/i\u003eis a searing portrait of life in contemporary Cuba, where the struggles of ordinary citizens collide with the brutal repression of the government. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this powerful collection of essays, we encounter a memorable and diverse cast of regular Cubans who are trying to survive with few resources and little hope--including a female boxer in a country that has long outlawed women's boxing, a boy who collects money for the country's underground lottery, a male gigolo, and the residents of a neighborhood that is so poor that the government doesn't officially recognize its existence. We also meet the homeless, and vendors who eke out a meager living by selling fruit and vegetables, scraping by in a former socialist paradise.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eJiménez Enoa juxtaposes these ordinary lives against the repressive tactics of the government, or \"regime.\" He describes his \"walks\" around Villa Marista, the headquarters of the secret police, and the spies, confidantes, informers and regime sympathizers who crush anyone who questions the official narrative, which forces many independent journalists into exile. In a final self-portrait in the book about his own exile, Jiménez Enoa writes that, \"to escape from Cuba is to fall into the world, to realize that Cuba is an island that has been hijacked by a political system which ensures that the country remains locked inside the twentieth century.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJiménez Enoa, Abraham:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eAbraham Jiménez Enoa\u003c\/b\u003e is a freelance journalist and co-founder of the online narrative journalism magazine \u003ci\u003eEl Estornudo\u003c\/i\u003e. He was also a columnist for \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e from 2019 to 2023. Jiménez Enoa is an outspoken voice within Cuba's media community, providing fresh perspectives on challenges for independent journalists and reporting on issues rarely covered by state media, including racism in Cuba. In 2020, state security officers strip-searched and handcuffed Jiménez Enoa, interrogated him for five hours, and threatened him and his family over his writings about life in Cuba in his monthly \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e column. The persistent harassment and censorship forced Jiménez to flee to Spain in 2021, where he is currently living in exile. He is the author of two books, \u003ci\u003eThe Hidden Island\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLanding in the World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eIsla Familia\u003c\/i\u003e, a documentary about his treatment by the Cuban authorities and his exile from the country, was released in 2024.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnderson, Jon Lee:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJon Lee Anderson\u003c\/b\u003e is a staff writer for \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker. \u003c\/i\u003eHe has covered conflicts in numerous places for the magazine, including Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan, Angola, Somalia, Sudan, Mali, and Liberia. He has also reported frequently from Latin America, writing about Rio de Janeiro's gangs, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, an isolated tribe in Peru's Amazon, and a Caracas slum, among other subjects, and has written Profiles of Augusto Pinochet, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, and Gabriel García Márquez. His books include \u003ci\u003eChe Guevara: A Revolutionary Life\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eGuerrillas, Journeys in the Insurgent World, \u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eThe Fall of Baghdad\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe Lion's Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMeyer, Lily:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLily Meyer\u003c\/b\u003e is a translator, critic, and author of the novel \u003ci\u003eShort War\u003c\/i\u003e. A contributing writer at \u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e, her translations include Claudia Ulloa Donoso's story collections \u003ci\u003eLittle Bird\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIce for Martians\u003c\/i\u003e. Her novel, \u003ci\u003eThe End of Romance\u003c\/i\u003e, is forthcoming from Viking.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ig Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51572154728722,"sku":"9781632462091","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_ef2c8f41-b7f1-42b8-8bd3-7a918f69a16f.jpg?v=1755854754","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-hidden-island-9781632462091","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}