Freedom's Mirror: Cuba and Haiti in the Age of Revolution

Ada Ferrer's Freedom's Mirror: Cuba and Haiti in the Age of Revolution is a welcome addition to the growing scholarly work on the Haitian Revolution's impact in the Caribbean. Moreover, it proves decisively the link between the rise of independent Haiti and 19th century Cuba's transformation into a center of slavery and sugar production. Ferrer's informative text included intensive coverage of certain episodes in the Haitian Revolution I was not familiar with, such as the role of Cubans in the Spanish forces that were, for a time, allied with the rebel slaves in the north of Saint Domingue. By focusing on the writings and experiences of Cubans in that time, Ferrer speaks directly to how Cuba, while facing black revolt in the nearby colony, was determined to cultivate the sugar-slavery complex that required black slavery. In addition, the rise of marronage and slave resistance in eastern Cuba in the aftermath of the Haitian Revolution and rapid increases in slave imports was also of interest, as well as the influence of important planters and intellectuals in 19th century Cuba (mainly Francisco de Arango y Parreño). In the end, Ferrer's work furthers the recent contribution from Matthew J. Smith on the importance of inter-Caribbean historical relations and exchange, one that has often been just as momentous or significant in the history of the Caribbean as the actions of the Western powers.