Beantown Cubans [Paperback]

Johnny Diaz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2009

From the acclaimed author of Miami Manhunt and Boston Boys Club, comes a witty, new, warmhearted novel of friendship, familia, and finding a place to call home--even in a city where it's almost impossible to get an authentic Cuban sandwich. . .

Carlos Martin is twenty-seven years old and ready for a change. Cuban-born and Miami-raised, the cute but slightly awkward high school teacher figures that Boston is about as far from the crazy South Beach social scene as he could get--and a way to escape the bittersweet reminders of his recently departed mother. Life in "Beantown" is quite a culture shock--until Carlos meets Tommy Perez, another Miami transplant who quickly shows him the ropes. Now, in the course of one wildly unpredictable year, Carlos is going to learn to embrace his newfound independence, as well as his individuality. . .

Praise for Johnny Diaz and Miami Manhunt

"The excellent Johnny Diaz has produced another hilarious arresting novel about that most impossible of all quests: finding love, true love, in Miami."--Juno Diaz, New York Times bestselling author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Johnny Diaz is a Living/Arts writer for The Boston Globe, where he writes about pop culture, style trends and Hispanic-related arts stories. Before that he worked at The Miami Herald. As a reporter there, he shared in the 2000 Pulitzer award coverage of the federal seizure of Elian Gonzalez and the chaos that erupted in Miami afterwards. He also covered some of the biggest breaking stories in South Florida, such as the Gianni Versace murder. He was also a featured contributor in the first Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul. Johnny lives in Boston.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (August 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758234252
• ISBN-13: 978-0758234254
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Johnny Diaz is a media reporter for The Boston Globe's Business section, where he writes about local TV news, radio, print and advertising. Prior to that job, Johnny was a features writer for The Globe's Living/Arts section for three years.
Before that he was a general assignment Metro reporter for his hometown newspaper, The Miami Herald. As a reporter there, he shared in the 2000 Pulitzer award coverage of the federal seizure of Elian Gonzalez and the chaos that erupted in Miami afterwards. He also covered some of the biggest breaking stories in South Florida, such as the Gianni Versace murder. He was also a featured contributor in the first Chicken Soup for the Latino Soul. Johnny is the author of Boston Boys Club, Miami Manhunt and Beantown Cubans. He is also currently a part-time journalism instructor at Emerson College in Boston. On his downtime, he enjoys hiking in the Blue Hills south of Boston every weekend and reading fiction.

Readers can visit his website: www.beantowncuban.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not quite right, January 30, 2010

By 

oz reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beantown Cubans (Paperback)

This is pretty good read once you get into it. I liked the two main characters and their journeys are interesting. However, I was very disappointed with the resolution of one of the relationships and how it was depicted. Instead of being portrayed as a positive thing for the main character's sense of well being (as it was), I felt it showed a great lack of fortitude, kindness and supportiveness. The partner in need went through a very bad time and in the end did what the other guy wanted. But instead of being supported in his recovery, once it got a little difficult, he was dumped and left on his own. Not what you would expect from someone who supposedly loves you. That it was done is not usual, but the annoying thing is saying it's alright after their relationship/love is written as being as strong as it was.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carlos enters!, December 21, 2009

By 

Il Babbo Irlandese - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beantown Cubans (Paperback)

I've read Johnny Diaz' first two books and enjoyed them. This book adds a new personality, Carlos, who is indeed a sympathetic character. Sadly, Carlos' mother has recently died but Johnny softens the loss by letting Carlos and his dead mother communicate. Carlos' father is a universal type for gay boys---the macho, baseball loving, straight man, who just doesn't 'get' his son. It seems that there is no middle road for reconciliation, but Mama's intercessions and Carlos' good will, and even some effort by Papa help out.
Johnny handles this situation deftly. He also gives us both a gay and a Cuban tour around Boston and Miami. Johnny Diaz has done a very good job with these unique characters.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Third time is definitely the charm for talented author!, July 28, 2009

By 

Bob Lind "camelwest" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Beantown Cubans (Paperback)

Carlos Martin is a 27 year old gay Cuban-American, a teacher who recently relocated from his family's home in Miami to Boston, following the death of his mother, to whom he was very close, leaving behind his sister and father. He never was very close to his father, and felt almost like an intruder when his mother was no longer there, so he thought it best to make a "fresh start" in a new city, even though it is very different in many ways. Thankfully, he quickly met Tommy Perez, a 29 year old Cuban who is also from Miami, and Tommy was able to show him around his new city, including the gay nightlife. Tommy is very sensitive to Carlos' family situation, and doesn't try to joke Carlos out of his belief that his mother still visits him regularly in his dreams. But it is clear that there are some unresolved issues with his family, which will need to be addressed before Carlos can really build a new life in Boston. Meanwhile, Tommy is dealing with the reemergence of his ex, Mikey, whom he broke up with because of his alcohol abuse. The question is whether Tommy can deal with being the supportive friend Mikey needs as he rehabs, without falling back into a lover relationship that may not be good for either one of them.

The character of Tommy was introduced in Diaz' first book, "Boston Boys Club," and it is nice to get acquainted with him again. The author has a definite talent in featuring realistic, emotionally fully-developed characters in his stories, with whom most readers can easily identify and want to know better. I also like that his stories tend to include examples of reconciling with family members. In my opinion, this is the best of his three novels thus far, and I give it five spicy stars out of five.