Monika Krause (1941-2019) moved to Cuba in 1962. Monika was appointed in 1977 to lead the National Working Group on Sex Education (GNTES) which eventually became the National Center for Sex Education (CENESEX) in 1988, of which Monika was the first director, a position she held until her return to Germany in November 1990. Monika played a key role in the development and implementation of a modern, scientific, and impactful national program for sex education and planned parenthood in Cuba.
Fighting taboos, prejudices, inhibitions, and machismo in a patriarchal society, preparing young generations for a sexual life based on shared responsibility, consent and knowledge, and the discovery of individual happiness in search of oneself were Monika's daily bread. (Dominique Gay-Sylvestre, Professor at University of Limoges, France) With women's rights under attack, I can't think of a better time to embrace Monika's commitment to education, pleasure, and liberation. (Jacqueline Loss, Professor at University of Connecticut) What a bold, intrepid woman! Monika combines a fierce sense of mission with a tender-hearted maternal instinct which jostle each other through the pages of this unputdownable and riveting read. Kudos to her sons for having made this unique story available to an English reading public. (Prajna Paramita, International Executive and Leadership Coach) Monika's recollections and insights, told with humor and heart, offer the reader a unique glimpse into the turbulent first thirty years of the Cuban Revolution--and one brave woman's part in it. (Regina Anavy, translator, author, and editor in San Francisco) Monika Krause was a fresh wind of sexual freedom in the Orwellian Cuba of the 1980s. The story of her life is also a journey through a country full of yearning, fear, and disruption. (Yoani Sanchez, Cuban independent journalist and founder of 14ymedio.com)