A Maverick Cuban Way

A Maverick Cuban Way is a historically-informed travel memoir, which describes Mary Jane Walker’s three-week visit to Cuba at the end of 2016 and the beginning of 2017.

Mary Jane spoke to many local people, staying in casas particulares (guest-houses) and travelling on local buses. The book begins with a particularly strong and well-informed historical chapter, which sets the scene for more contemporary descriptions that follow.

Containing some guidance for travellers, but not a guidebook, A Maverick Cuban Way describes Mary Jane’s journey from Havana around the island, via the beach resort of Varadero; the French-founded city of Cienfuegos; Playa Giron, beside the historically notorious but ecologically significant Bay of Pigs; the old-fashioned town of Trinidad; the city of Bayamo, honoured in Cuba’s national anthem La Bayamesa; Fidel’s 1950s hideout in the Sierra Maestra; Pico Turquino, the highest peak in Cuba; Santiago de Cuba, the second city of the island; Guantanamo, the site of the American base, a Cuban town and the Guantanamera; Baracoa, a once-isolated coastal town with a strong Haitian influence; and Camaguey, an inland city of the plains.