We were lucky enough to meet Rosa Lowinger, the author, on a trip with the Los Angeles Conservancy to Cuba before its recent "opening up." She is wonderful.

In addition to being awarded the Rome Prize in Conservation from the American Academy in Rome, Rosa is the founder of Rosa Lowinger and Associates, a conservation firm with an international focus and offices in Miami and Los Angeles. 

Rosa was born in Cuba and is considered one of America's foremost experts on Cuba's cultural, artistic, and architectural history.

To top it all off, she is a very compelling writer, and this book is a must-read if you are interested in pre-revolutionary Cuba or plan to travel there. She brings the heady, splashy world of the Tropicana's heyday fantastically to life!