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   Vol.64/No.46            December 4, 2000 
 
 
Pathfinder well received at Miami book fair
 
BY ERIC SIMPSON  
MIAMI--Supporters of Pathfinder sold more than $1,000 in revolutionary literature at the Miami Book Fair this year--the most they have ever sold at this annual event. Altogether, participants bought 127 books.

At the top of the list, with 19 copies sold, was The Working Class and the Transformation of Learning by Jack Barnes. Thirteen copies of The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Frederick Engels were sold. This pamphlet is always popular at the Pathfinder booth. Six copies of Capitalism's World Disorder by Barnes--four in English and two in Spanish--were also purchased. Several people commented that they were attracted by the title, which captured what they see happening around them.  
 
Books on Cuba attract interest
Che Guevara Talks to Young People proved another popular title. Six copies of that collection of speeches by the Cuban communist leader were among the 32 titles on the Cuban revolution sold this year at the fair.

Besides the new Pathfinder books, another 44 books in slightly worn condition were purchased at fire-sale prices, for a total of $1,450 in sales.

A steady stream of visitors was drawn to the booth by posters featuring Fidel Castro, Marx, Malcolm X, and other revolutionary leaders whose writings and speeches are published by Pathfinder. A number of people who stopped by for political discussions talked about the importance of unions. One gas station cashier said he was raising with others the need for a union to unite all convenience store cashiers. He drew on his experience as a participant in the revolution in Nicaragua.

Another worker, originally from the Dominican Republic, explained that he had been part of two unsuccessful organizing efforts in the last three years. He picked up a copy of El rostro cambiante de la política en Estados Unidos, the Spanish-language edition of The Changing Face of U.S. Politics.

A subscriber to Perspectiva Mundial who stopped by to renew his subscription said cab drivers like himself desperately need a union. He bought a trial subscription to the Militant to add to his PM sub. Four introductory subscriptions to Perspectiva Mundial were sold at the fair.

Directly across the way from the Pathfinder booth was Publishers Exchange (PEX), which imports books from Cuba and distributes them in the United States. The importer's booth, the first it has had at the fair, was an unqualified success. Josefina Hernández of PEX reported that she was pleasantly surprised by the positive response she got from many book fair visitors.

A number of opponents of the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba helped staff the PEX booth, called "El Rincón Cubano" (The Cuban Corner), decorated with film posters from revolutionary Cuba.

Supporters of both Pathfinder and PEX reported no incidents of harassment from opponents of the Cuban revolution at either booth.  
 
 
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