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  1. Donatella, here are some interesting Cuba books that I have mostly read. My favorite as I said is the novelist Oscar Hijuelos but here are some more:

    MEMOIRS/BIO
    Dancing with Cuba, Guillermoprieto, on trying to start a dance studio in Cuba.

    Cuban Diaries, Tattlin, on being an American housewife in Cuba and trying to get by.

    Castro’s Daughter, Fernandez, on being the illegitimate and estranged and exiled daughter.

    Finding Manana, Ojito, on being a teen and part of the Mariel boat lift

    Blessed by Thunder, Barrios, on growing up disillusioned with the revolution while being sent away to pick sugar and tobacco

    Waiting for Snow in Havana, Eire, on growing up as a boy in Cuba (he’s just released a follow up)

    Before Night Falls, Arenas, coming out as a gay Cuban and a counter-revolutionary (died of AIDS in NYC in 1990)

    Havana Dreams, Gimbel, a search for family history pre-revolution

    FICTION
    Cristina Garcia, Dreaming in Cuban and subsequent works, Cuban-American quality chick lit

    A Girl Like Che Guevara, Doval, ditto

    Reinaldo Arenas, sly political satirical novels often gay-themed (see above)

    Dirty Havana Trilogy, Gutierrez, trying to survive in the ‘special period’ by whoring and hustling.

    Guilty of Dancing the ChaChaCha, Infante, three stories

    Several by Mayra Montero, her work translated by Edith Grossman, need I say more?

    In Cuba I was a German Shepard, Menendez, humorous stories about the ones who left and the ones who didn’t.

    Dirty Blonde and Half-Cuban, Wixon, chick-lit-ty, chasing down relatives and survivors.

    Several by Zoe Valdez…

    Telex From Cuba, Kushner, sugar cane pre-revolutionary the big star.

    Lazarus Rumba, Mestre, sweeping family saga post-revolution

    King Bongo and Mile Zero, Sanchez, bit of a detective bok.

    These are all contemporary works and naturally Cuba has a long history. There’s a book solely devoted to the history of Cuban lit, edited by the above-mentioned Cristina Garcia called “Cubanisimo: The Vintage Book of Contemporary Cuban Literature”.

  2. My autumn flowering crocus are not blooming. That means I can’t harvest saffron which means I can’t add money to my retirement fund & also can’t take the agriculture deduction this year. Think I could compensate by giving lap dances?

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