Lost Debate

Cuba Libre?

April 16, 2026·51 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

When Ravi Gupta was a struggling high school student, he pulled Jon Lee Anderson’s biography of Che Guevara off his mom’s bookshelf—and it became the first book that truly grabbed him, shaping how he saw the world. That personal connection sparks a wide-ranging conversation about how Anderson’s globe-trotting childhood led him to report from the frontlines of history and build trust with everyone from warlords to world leaders. The episode traces Cuba’s dramatic ups and downs—from the economic collapse of the 1990s to Barack Obama’s brief attempt at reopening relations—and why the country now feels closer to crisis again. And it ends with an unforgettable twist: Anderson’s own unlikely role in uncovering what happened to Che Guevara after his death. --> VOTE HERE for Where the School’s Went for Best Health, Science, or Education Podcast ------- Leave us a voicemail with your thoughts on the show! 201-305-0084⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Ravi at @RaviMGupta Notes from this episode are also available on Substack: https://thelostdebate.substack.com/ Read more from Ravi on Substack: https://realravigupta.substack.com  Follow The Branch at @thebranchmedia Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lost-debate/id1591300785 Listen to more episodes of Lost Debate on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xR9pch9DrQDiZfGB5oF0F Listen to Where the Schools Went: https://thebranchmedia.org/show/where-the-schools-went/

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