Armando Valladares spent 22 years in Cuba’s prison as punishment for his opposition to communism. He survived inhumane conditions, daily torture, forced labor, and solitary confinement with unbendable perseverance and deep religious faith. After his release in 1982, he published his memoirs in the international bestseller Against All Hope: A Memoir of Life in Castro’s Gulag. He was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, where his focus on Cuba led to the exposure of Castro's horrific prison system.