As part of The Greenwood Histories of the Modern Nations series, this text is designed to give students and interested laypeople an up-to-date, concise, and analytical history of Cuba. In addition to the historical narrative, coverage includes an introductory overview of Cuba's geography, political institutions, economic structure, cultural attributes, and biographical sketches of the nation's most important figures. Staten teaches political science at Indiana U. Southeast. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)