Cuba

Cuba Adam Kufeld (Norton, $35) Cuba is a country that is more often written about than it is photographed, which is only part of what makes this book intriguing. Photographer Adam Kufeld was impressed by Cuba's communal spirit and relative prosperity when he visited in 1976, so he returned in 1991 to see how the fall of European communism had affected our communist neighbor. The results were economically disastrous, but Kufeld's photographs are beautiful, framing cowgirls and farmers, doctors and dancers, against a backdrop of chipped and fading beauty. Even a somber-looking Fidel Castro makes an appearance. Author Tom Miller's introduction puts Kufeld's portraits in historical perspective, making this a neat combination of education and entertainment. A -Margot Mifflin