How does the lived experience of a man born into slavery in 19th-century Cuba reflect the broader social, political, and cultural shifts of the nation? Esteban Montejo, a centenarian who lived through the transition from slavery to abolition and the Cuban War of Independence, provides a firsthand account of his life. Compiled by ethnographer Miguel Barnet, the text utilizes oral history methodology to preserve the vernacular and perspective of a man who spent years as a fugitive in the Cuban mountains. The work serves as a primary source document for understanding the realities of plantation life and the subsequent struggle for national identity.

Historians and literary scholars frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of oral history and the subaltern experience in the Caribbean. Readers often note the raw, unvarnished quality of the prose, which maintains the authenticity of the subject's voice throughout the narrative.