The Semiquincentennial, D&S Style
In honor of the 250th, capsule reviews of U.S. history books by members of the Dollars & Sense collective.
Sources: Medea Benjamin, “The Indictment of Raul Catro: A New Low in Cuba Policy,” Common Dreams, May 21, 2026 (commondreams.org); Kim Hjelmgaard, “Trump ramps up Cuba pressure as Nimitz carrier enters Caribbean Sea,” USA Today, May 21, 2026 (usatoday.com); Françoise Bouchet-Saulnier, “The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law,” Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders, 1998 (guide-humanitarian-law.org); David Mericle, Jacob Kitzman, Wong Gim Teck, and Shu Jian, “Embargo or Blockade?” The Cuban Experience,1998; Jack Nicas and Christiaan Triebert, “A New U.S. Blockade Is Strangling Cuba,” New York Times, February 20, 2026 (nytimes.com); Joe Courtney Press Release, “Of Course A Blockade is an Act of War,” May 19, 2026 (courtney.house.gov); Eduardo Galeano, Open Veins of Latin America (Monthly Review Press, 1971); Carollee Bengelsdorf, The Problem of Democracy in Cuba (Oxford University Press, 1994); Eduardo Humberto del Río García, Cuba para principiantes/ Cuba for Beginners (Editorial Grijalbo S.A., 1983); José Luis Rodríguez and George Carriazo Moreno, Eradication of Poverty in Cuba/ Erradicación de la Pobreza en Cuba (Editorial De Ciencias Sociales,1987); Tom Phillips, “Cuba Has Run Out Of Diesel And Fuel Oil, Energy Minister Says, As Us Blockade Pushes Island To Brink,” The Guardian, May 13, 2026 (theguardian.com); Vibhu Mishra “General Assembly renews long-standing call for end to US embargo against Cuba,” UN News, October 30, 2024 (news.un.org); United Nations General Assembly, “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” October 11, 2023 (docs.un.org); Michelle Nichols, “Us Fails To Make Big Dent In Un Vote Calling For End To Cuba Embargo,” Reuters, October 29, 2025 (reuters.com); The Editors of ProCon. “Cuba Embargo,” Encyclopedia Britannica, February 10, 2026 (britannica.com); Steven Goldstein, “America’s Farmers Bearing Heavy Burden for U.S. Embargo Against Cuba: New Report,” AfroCubaWeb, January 28, 2002 (afrocubaweb.com); Anna Diamond, “Why We Don’t Know How Many People Are Homeless,” New York Times, February 18, 2026 (nytimes.com); Macrotrends, “U.S. Median Home Listing Price (2016-2026)” (macrotrends.net); Zillow, “Housing Data” (zillow.com/research/data); Helen Yaffe, “Defend Cuba From US Efforts to Crush It,” Jacobin, March 13, 2026 (jacobin.com); Bureau of Diplomatic Security, “Cuba 2012 Crime and Safety Report,” U.S. Department of State, March 21, 2012 (state.gov); Steven Zahniser, Lila Cardell, Yacob Abrehe Zereyesus, and Constanza Valdes, “Cuba’s deteriorating food security and its implications for US agricultural exports,” U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, October 2024 (usda.gov); Nicholas Kristof, “Why Infants May Be More Likely to Die in American Than Cuba, New York Times, January 18, 2019 (nytimes.com); Ed Augustin and Jack Nicas, “Cuban Patients Are Dying Because of US Blockade, Doctors Say,” New York Times, March 26, 2026 (nytimes.com); Economist Sinan Koont; Leni Villagomez Reeves, “Marco Rubio’s Powerful Secret Backers,” Community Alliance, April 2, 2025 (fresnoalliance.com); Dan Berman, “Sheldon Adelson-owned Las Vegas Review-Journal endorses Marco Rubio,” CNN, February 5, 2016 (cnn.com); Jonathan Jackson, “Press Release: Jayapal, Jackson Statement on Delegation to Cuba,” April 5, 2026 (jonathanjackson.house.gov); Kristen Welker Interview with Cuban President and First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba Miguel Mario Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, “Surrender is Not Part of the Revolutionaries’ Mindset,” Meet the Press, NBC News, April 9, 2026 (nbc.com); Belly of the Beast, “Cuba’s Population Shrinks by 1.4 Million in Five Years,” May 30, 2025 (bellyofthebeastcuba.com); Frances Robles, “On May Day Cuba’s Communist Leaders Deliver a Defiant Tone to the U.S.,” New York Times, May 1, 2026 (nytimes.com).