I have been to Cuba many, many times and Tattlin's book caught me rolling my eyes a bit. She tends to stretch the truth to make the book more interesting, or rather, she gives an unrepresentative portrayal of Havana. Life in Cuba may not be mansions and BMW's, but if you want to see real poverty take a trip over to Haiti, the DR, etc. etc......the difference between Cuba and the rest of Latin America is that in Cuba even the rich white foreign people have to struggle. The books shows a lack of perspective and frequently is pompous.