32 review for Sugar Is Made with Blood: The Conspiracy of La Escalera and the Conflict Between Empires Over Slavery in Cuba

1. 

   4 out of 5

   Dusty – Oct 22, 2012

   In 1844, which in Cuba is remembered as the "Year of the Lash," the Spanish Captain-General of Cuba authorized the imprisonment and torture of thousands of slaves suspected of organizing a large-scale rebellion and a handful of white liberal intellectuals believed to have inspired them. As time has gone on historians have begun to wonder: Was there in fact a conspiracy? Or was the "conspiracy" a lie invented by the Spanish Empire's Caribbean representatives in order to simultaneously subjugate t In 1844, which in Cuba is remembered as the "Year of the Lash," the Spanish Captain-General of Cuba authorized the imprisonment and torture of thousands of slaves suspected of organizing a large-scale rebellion and a handful of white liberal intellectuals believed to have inspired them. As time has gone on historians have begun to wonder: Was there in fact a conspiracy? Or was the "conspiracy" a lie invented by the Spanish Empire's Caribbean representatives in order to simultaneously subjugate two boisterous subgroups? Paquette's book, which remains the gold star against which all other accounts of the Escalera Conspiracy must be judged, is a wealth of archival history. Yes, it's dry. But yes, it's fascinating.

2. 

   4 out of 5

   Dave – Oct 13, 2010

   Paquette does a good job of setting up the context of La Escalera and then pointing out the viable conclusions readers can draw from the evidence. He's sensitive to the various frames through which La Escalera has been viewed in the past, and he makes extra effort to argue why differences in interpretation may have occurred. This is one history book from the 80s that doesn't feel like it's from 80s (and no, I'm not sure what I mean by that either). Paquette does a good job of setting up the context of La Escalera and then pointing out the viable conclusions readers can draw from the evidence. He's sensitive to the various frames through which La Escalera has been viewed in the past, and he makes extra effort to argue why differences in interpretation may have occurred. This is one history book from the 80s that doesn't feel like it's from 80s (and no, I'm not sure what I mean by that either).

3. 

   4 out of 5

   James –

4. 

   5 out of 5

   Nahsha –

5. 

   4 out of 5

   Thomas Baughman –

6. 

   4 out of 5

   J –

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Yasmin –

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Lea Johnson –

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Marian –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Nschwart –

11. 

    4 out of 5

    Jessica –

12. 

    5 out of 5

    m_miriam –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Joe Carlin –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    Sunstone Nebula –

15. 

    4 out of 5

    Josh –

16. 

    5 out of 5

    Rocky Farr –

17. 

    4 out of 5

    Narciso Santana –

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Julio –

19. 

    5 out of 5

    Kat Becker –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Carol Hix –

21. 

    4 out of 5

    Ernest Mcconnell. –

22. 

    4 out of 5

    Donald Forster –

23. 

    4 out of 5

    Gueu Barboza –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    Esther –

25. 

    4 out of 5

    Noah –

26. 

    4 out of 5

    Matthew –

27. 

    4 out of 5

    Sean –

28. 

    4 out of 5

    Temporalidae –

29. 

    4 out of 5

    Charles Heisser –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    PKN1 GoodReads –

31. 

    4 out of 5

    Jonathan Rodriguez –

32. 

    5 out of 5

    Dani Rose –