When Celia Sánchez Manduley died of lung cancer in January 1980 at the age of 59, Cuba's official organs competed to outvenerate a revolutionary icon. One encomium stands out from the rest in defining the challenge and contribution of Tiffany Sippial's terrific new book: “Today,” observed the Federation of Cuban Women, an institution, one would think, as committed as any to advancing the empowerment of Cuban women, “our people lost a glorious figure who elevated the name of women during the revolutionary struggle, one who knew how to win the love and respect of the sons of our country with her simplicity, modesty, exemplary attitude, and with her participation in every task necessary to the construction of a new society” (p. 175).
Revolutionary? Surely not by modern feminist standards, as Sánchez is celebrated here for carrying out prescribed gender and political roles, albeit in exemplary fashion. Where, Sippial asks, is...
