#AcademicRunPlaylist - 1/5/25

Author

Ben Waber
January 05, 2025

A selfie of me in front of the Charles River, with the Cambridge Side on the far bank and Boston's skyline rising about the distance Mass Ave. bridge on a cloudy day. I'm a middle-aged white man with a red beard flecked with white. I'm wearing a neon green LL Bean winter hat and a grey zip up running sweatshirt.

It was pretty chilly and windy today, but I was still able to get out for a shorter run while listening to a book for my #AcademicRunPlaylist!

Today I listened to "Cuba: An American History" by Ada Ferrer. I wanted a book that expanded my understanding of the US's occupation of Cuba, and boy does this book overdeliver (in a good way). Ferrer vividly illustrates how much Cuba's history rhymes with that of the US, but never takes the focus off Cuba and Cubans, winding through the different ages of Cuban history and ending in 2021. Not only did I come away with a much better understanding of US history (although other accounts differ on the exact causes of the strangely named Spanish-American War), but my understanding of one of our close neighbors is dramatically enhanced. Highly recommend