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Memoir on Fidel Castro's Visit to Jimmy's Bronx Cafe Hits the Shelves

By Eddie Small | October 24, 2016 3:50pm
 Bronxite Julio Pabón (R) has finished his book about Fidel Castro's (L) 1995 visit to The Bronx.
Bronxite Julio Pabón (R) has finished his book about Fidel Castro's (L) 1995 visit to The Bronx.
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Roberto Chile

THE BRONX — A Bronx author's book on Fidel Castro's controversial 1995 visit to the borough has hit the shelves.

Activist and businessman Julio Pabón, who helped bring Castro to the borough after former mayor Rudy Giuliani declined to invite him to the United Nation's 50th anniversary dinner for heads of state, recently finished writing and self-publishing a book about the event that he had been working on for roughly 2.5 years.

The project, called "Knockout: Fidel Castro Visits the South Bronx," officially became available on Wednesday, according to Pabón. Interested readers can purchase the book online, and Pabón said he plans to have a digital version of it available very soon.

He said he is thrilled that, after years of labor, his project is finally done.

"To be able to actually see a book with my name on it, I mean, the feeling is incredible," Pabón said. "I can't tell you. It's the best high I've ever had."

Castro came to The Bronx on Oct. 23, 1995 for a dinner at Jimmy's Bronx Cafe around 7 p.m. after Pabón helped put together a press release inviting him to the borough, where more than 300 people showed up, according to Pabón.

The Cuban leader spoke for around 40 minutes about his country and its history, hitting topics including the 1959 revolution and Cuba's relationship with the United States, Pabón said.

He had hoped to have "Knockout" finished by October to coincide with the 21st anniversary of Castro's trip and stressed that it was not meant to be a political statement on communism but rather an example of how "a Puerto Rican who was raised in the depths of poverty in the South Bronx" could still learn and develop the skills to help bring one of the most controversial world leaders to his home.

Pabón also hopes the book will make Castro's visit to the borough a better-known part of Bronx history, as he said he has met several people who are still unaware that the visit ever occurred.

"There were so many people—some were judges, some were professors, some were longtime residents of The Bronx—and a lot of people did not know that Fidel Castro came to The Bronx," he said. "It was like a shock."

He described himself as a terrible speller growing up and maintained that he never thought he would become an author, making the release of his book an extremely special moment.

"That I finally see this book come out, it’s like, wow," he said. "It's an incredible experience."