Fidel Castro : my life : a spoken autobiography / Fidel Castro and Ignacio Ramonet ; translated by Andrew Hurley

Includes bibliographical references (p. 663-648) and index.

A hundred hours with Fidel -- The childhood of a leader -- The forging of a rebel -- Entering politics -- The assault on the Moncada Barracks -- The backdrop of the revolution -- 'History will absolve me' -- Che Guevara -- In the Sierra Maestra -- Lessons from a guerrilla war -- Revolution: first steps, first problems -- The conspiracies begin -- The Bay of Pigs/Playa Girón -- The 'Cuban Missile Crisis' of October 1962 -- The death of Che Guevara -- Cuba and Africa -- The emigration crises -- The collapse of the Soviet Union -- The Ocohoa case and the death penalty -- Cuba and neoliberal globalization -- President Jimmy Carter's visit -- The arrests of dissidents in March 2003 -- The hijackings in April 2003 -- Cuba and Spain -- Fidel and France -- Latin America -- Cuba today -- Summing up a life and revolution -- After Fidel, what? -- Some key dates in the life of Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution (1926-2007)

Fidel Castro is perhaps the most charismatic and controversial head of state in modern times. A dictatorial pariah to some, he has become a hero and inspiration for many of the world's poor, defiantly charting an independent and revolutionary path for Cuba over nearly half a century. Numerous attempts have been made to get Castro to tell his own story, but only now, in the twilight of his years, has he been prepared to set out the details for the world to read. Drawing on more than one hundred hours of interviews with journalist Ignacio Ramonet, a knowledgeable and trusted interlocutor, this spoken autobiography will stand as the definitive record of an extraordinary life lived in turbulent times.--From publisher description.