This is an extremely in-depth and thoroughly readable history — I admit to jumping around rather than reading straight through (the demands of research), but there is something on every page that snags the attention and lights up the brain. Much-needed and vital work.

I am half-Cuban and half Puerto Rican. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico and it has been in the last decade or so that I have gotten into Cuban history (Cuban culture has always been a part of my life). Ironically, I associate New York with Puerto Ricans, not Cubans, so it was great to learn about the contributions Cubans made to the cultural heritage of NYC.

I was familiar with the Cuban community in Miami both before and after Fidel. It was the first time I'd ever heard of "readers" used in cigar factories to read the newspaper, and other materials, to the workers and how they fomented revolution! So this book was, intriguing, to say the least! I know a lot of people from New York, but they are mainly from Puerto Rico and Central and South America. It was pretty exciting to discover that Cubans went to New York in the mid 19th century and pretty much established communities much like those later started in Miami. Lisandro Perez's book is well researched and well-written book. Anyone interested in Cuban history in the states, New York history, and immigrants, will find this book very informative. great book!

This book was extremely interesting, as I didn't know much about the time period where Cubans came into New York and made it the largest Latin American community at the time. This book was filled with a lot of obscure information and was an interesting read!

Sugar, cigars and revolution is a must-read for anyone interested in how Cubans "conquered" lower Manhattan in the mid-19th century and by this changed the face of New York. The freshness of the writing style is an added bonus.