Pichón: Race and Revolution in Castro's Cuba, A Memoir

Remarkable yet true, this engaging autobiography chronicles the development of one man's racial and political consciousness and his search for purpose in life. Vivid descriptions of Moore's poverty-stricken childhood-one steeped in social exclusion, racial self-hatred, and maternal abuse-illustrate the universal questions of identity and race he experienced from an early age. After moving to New York with his father and siblings, Moore was shocked by new and dangerous challenges in the United States. Fortunately, he quickly found his mentor, Maya Angelou, as well as other intellectuals, artists, and scholars who taught him the deeper meaning of the black experience and the importance of truth and justice. His growing activism and revolutionary commitment eventually led him back to Cuba, where, despite the Revolution, skin color still determined one's treatment. Moore's eventual 34-year exile and the hardship of an itinerant life are frankly depicted, yet his overall story remains uplifting.