Lazaro Overtes Gomez Lugo works out with a punching bag at Mayabeque Boxing Academy on May 12, 2015 in Hershey, Cuba. Mayabeque is the closest province to Havana, and there boxing academy is in the town of Hershey. Hershey was founded by the U.S. chocolate tycoon Milton S. Hershey in 1916. In its heyday, thousands of people worked at the plant and the town was booming in the 1950’s, but unfortunately closed in 2003.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
When a small inheritance from his grandfather gives Brin-Jonathan Butler the opportunity to travel anywhere in the world, he chooses Cuba. When his mother asks him why, he simply responds: "To find a boxing trainer and to meet the guy from The Old Man and the Sea."
In Butler's second book, The Domino Diaries, the Vancouver-born author explores Cuba like few North American authors have before. While the book is billed as a memoir, it also serves as an astute social commentary on the culture, politics and economics of an island that, despite its close proximity to the United States, might as well be on the other side of the world.
In Cuba, Butler discovers a culture unlike anything he's experienced in Canada. Each person he meets seems more bizarre, friendly and complicated than the one before. His story of his first trip in 2000, visiting Ernest Hemingway's Cuban home and meeting Gregorio Fuentes, whom The Old Man and the Sea is based on, gripping reading, while his telling of meeting (and flirting) with Fidel Castro's granddaughter is done in such a way that the reader feels both the awkwardness and humility of the moment. (It comes as little surprise that Butler's writing is reminiscent of Hemingway, whom he admittedly admires: short, punchy sentences and simple, straightforward language.)
While The Domino Diaries is framed by Butler's search for world-class boxing training (many of the world's best boxers come from Cuba) there is actually little discussion or exploration of the sport. His tales of Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, Cuban Olympic gold-medal winners who turned down millions of dollars to fight the likes of Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, shine a light on the passionate patriotism so widely on display on Cuba. This argument is countered brilliantly with the likes of Guillermo Rigondeaux, a modern-day two-time Olympic gold-medal winner who nearly died in his attempts to escape Cuba and make a new life for himself in the United States. These two tales aren't just about boxing; they sum up the countering opinions of Cubans island-wide. While some want nothing more than to leave the island in search of the American Dream, others feel a love and admiration for their countrymen – as well as a strong belief in the revolution – that keeps them from even considering such things.
None of this is to say that Butler's vision of Cuba is one of perfection. While he makes it clear that Cubans are a misunderstood people – the North American mindset is often much too simple: communism is evil and Cuba is communist – he also recounts being followed, security cameras watching his every move, and people refusing to speak with him for fear of persecution. For all the warmth Butler encounters, there's an undercurrent of danger accompanying his every move.
When he's not avoiding persecution, Butler is dancing at weddings, attending baseball games and falling asleep to the sound of families playing dominoes. His gritty portrayal of the island is an authentic glimpse into the lives of those who live it every day. In many ways, the book acts as a hands-on travel guide to Cuba, infecting readers with an urge to visit. His passion for the island is contagious. With the United States embargo against Cuba likely soon to be lifted, the island is on the verge of what could turn out to be radical change. The Domino Diaries is one last look inside Fidel Castro's Cuba.
Shawn W. Smith is a Toronto-based journalist who has written for Vice, SB Nation and Sportsnet.ca.