An autobiographical novel

1958. Sierra Maestra, Cuba. Two young Americans spend five months with Fidel Castro’s combat unit, el Movimiento 26 de Julio. While there, the author became the only US citizen from the mainland to see action in combat with Fidel’s guerrilla unit. Written in the early 1960s, fresh from the jungle, this novel is based on those experiences and can now finally be released.

ISBN 978-1-913693-10-7

Review by Robert Harris in The Morning Star

Unidentified, Fidel Castro, Bob Baldock, 1958, Sierra Maestra, Cuba

Above: Fidel with some of his combat unit. The author is standing fourth from left.

Here’s a message that Margaret Randall, poet, feminist, photographer, oral historian and social activist, sent to the author:

Dear Bob

I received your autobiographical novel yesterday, started reading and literally couldn’t put it down until the last page. It is marvelous, beautifully written and so moving. From what always seemed like casual comments over the years, I knew that you had met Fidel in the Sierra, but always assumed it was purely as a journalist. I had no idea that you were with the rebels for five months and actually engaged in combat. I can’t even begin to imagine how that experience shaped the rest of your life. […]

Of course you may send my comments to anyone interested. I cannot emphasize how much your book means to me. I only wish we’d had the occasion to talk about your experiences in person. […]

Margaret