War

After Moncada, the trials, imprisonment and finally amnesty for Fidel and the small group of men who survived the baptism of fire, revolutionary war was the logical next step. This chapter focuses on Haydée’s participation in that war. It describes her role as one of a very few women in a leadership position. It takes readers inside her spectacular talent for disguise and astonishing getaways, as well as her underground activities and a trip to the United States to buy arms from the Mafia and help organize the Cuban community in exile. Readers follow her exploits in her own words and those of surviving comrades. We learn about her vow to her martyred brother and how she managed to overcome depression and choose life in one situation after another. There are also glimpses of her important relationships with Armando Hart, Vilma Espín, Celia Sánchez and others. Haydée was always reluctant to travel outside Cuba, but victory found her in Miami—where she continued to make decisions that proved vital in the first moments of peace.