Veteran journalist David E. Hoffman, author of three previous acclaimed books that drew on his extensive knowledge of Russia, shifts focus to Cuba in Give Me Liberty, but the story still involves a consequential and inspiring struggle against authoritarian rule. Oswaldo Paya was for years a leading voice of opposition to Fidel Castro’s dictatorship and formed a pro-democracy movement. He died in a mysterious car crash a decade ago. Hoffman’s account of Paya’s life is not only a richly detailed tale of individual courage, principle, and persistence, but also a penetrating examination of where motivation and determination to be free come from in people, what drives individuals in oppressive societies to assert themselves, and what it takes to secure liberties the rest of us often take for granted.