Why read Pleasure Island?

Book cover of Pleasure Island: Tourism and Temptation in Cuba

Book description

Pleasure Island explores the tourism industry in Cuba between 1920 and 1960, as international travel ceased to be primarily a privilege of the wealthy, incorporating the world's growing middle class. Rosalie Schwartz examines tourists' changing ideas of leisure and recreation, as well as the response of a colonial-era Spanish city…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Pleasure Island as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Van Gosse

Author

The Machado Era (1924-1933) and the build-up of U.S. tourism are key to Cuba’s later history, but I have always found that period hard to teach. Schwartz does an admirable job of documenting the close connections between business circles in both countries, and the process by which Cuba became a playground for wealthy Americans in the ‘Teens and Twenties, fueling both deep corruption and a powerful anti-imperialism.

From Van's list on The best books about Cuba and the United States.