Customer Reviews

Dirty Blonde and Half-Cuban: A Novel

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a phenomenal read. You simply can't put this book down. Though this is only her first novel, Lisa Wixon's witty writing and daring subject choice will no doubt put her on the map as a writer to be reckoned with. While even she may dismiss Dirty Blonde and Half-Cuban as a cute summer beach read, the story of Alysia Vilar will stay with you long after your Hamptons mini-break. Alysia's plight is one of gargantuan proportions: A privileged American trapped in communist Cuba with no money, no way out, the only thing keeping her going is her impassioned, all-consuming desire (that only a Cuban can have) to find her astringed biological father living somewhere in Havana. In order to survive, Alysia joins the ranks the jineteras -- educated professionals who prostitute themselves to wealthy tourists. Ms. Wixon accurately and poignantly documents this real life practice without judgment. Throughout her search, Alysia befriends several eccentric characters that help to keep her spirits high, but no character is more important to Alysia than Havana itself. Soon into the story, Alysia discovers she is of Cuban decent, but it's only towards the end of her memoirs that Alysia realizes she is not just Cuban, but Cuba. I highly recommend this book, enthusiastically and without reservation.

First of all, do not read this book if you have something to do the next day because you will absolutely not be able to put it down. Second, this is not chick lit, which I was kind of expecting. It's so much more.

This is a story of longing to know our blood families and to know our homeland. As a Cuban-American, and someone who has returned several times to Cuba to visit family, I find the writer's observations to be exact and sometimes brilliant. The writing is deceptively simple but there's so much under the surface.

What impresses me most is that the writer is able to write about the Cubans with such heart-felt empathy. She shows what women and men are doing to get through the day, but never judges or condems them. I have seen people in Cuba do what she describes, but I never allowed myself to imagine how it would feel to be a jinetera and sell myself to sex tourists.

What I like most about this story is how she shows the dignity of the Cuban people,and how even those who have to hustle and sell sex are very proud and tryng to provide for their families.

You will feel for the main character Alysia, you will go through ever trial with her as if you were right there. I kept asking myself what I would do in her situation. . .If you are tired of men writing about Cuban women as if they are all hot to trot mamas , you will enjoy this refreshing and honest look at Cuban women (and men).

I've put this book on the top of my long running Listmania list of books and movies that will make you fall in love with Havana. If you like this book, check out Dirty Havana Trilogy by Pedro Juan Gutierrez or watch Soy Cuba on DVD.

My wife bought this and I picked it up and read through the whole weekend. Not an easy story to hear but is humor filled and well written. Interesting about sexual tourism from the perspective of the women who are the victims. The best line in the book refers to sexual colonialism. . .exactly what is happening in Cuba. . .

Having read an advanced Reader's copy of Lisa Wixon's novel, "Dirty Blonde and Half Cuban, I can only say we have found a new superstar. The amount of information she imparts about modern-day Cuba (a heart surgeon who makes $35 a month and has to take lovers to make ends meet), the hopelessness of one who is "stuck" there with no money and the willingness to to do whatever it takes to survive, is incredible. As well as the love of country shown by the people. This can't be made up whether the author went through it or not.

Lisa Wixon is a fine writer and deserves all the accolades she may receive, which I believe will be many!

Carl T. Smith, author of "Nothin' Left to Lose" and "Lowcountry Boil".

I really enjoyed this book! For some unexplained reason I have always had an interest in Cuba and will probably visit there within the next year. Through such books as CUBA by Stephen Coontz and SUSPICIAN OF RAGE by Barbara Parker, I have grasped a pretty good feel of life in 21st Century Cuba. DIRTY BLOND AND HALF CUBAN has given me an additional point of view. It has also opened my mind to be less judgmental of what one does to survive. Imagine an educated, trained female surgeon that saves lives every day, making only approximately $100 a month. To live, she has boyfriends that are foreign tourists and send her money and gifts year round. They appreciate her companionship, her wit, her intelligence, her looks and...yes, there is sex; but is it prostitution as we know?? The author really shows insight and understanding of the wealthy, ego driven, successful man. The book's protagonist is US bred and educated and is searching for her father, without money, trapped in Cuba and befriended by the surgeon. She survives in ways she never imagined. However, it is a celebration of a society that is one big family, helping each other to survive, with a warm spirit and comradery. This book captured me and made me think, It was hard to put down and had a story that kept me involved. I highly recommend it and wonder what this author will come up with next!!

Dirty Blond and Half Cuban reached out and grabbed me from the shelf of "new arrivals" at our local bookstore. When I got home, I curled up to read in my favorite chair. The next thing I new, I was walking the streets of Havana, experiencing a world that I could never have imagined. The smells, sounds and sites of Cuba intoxicated me. The novel is an absolutely wonderful tale about a young half American - half Cuban woman stranded in Havana. This story won't let you go until the last page and serves delicious characters that you will remember long after you finish your millionth formula best seller. Great reading. Five Stars and a book award to Lisa Wixon.

Lisa Wixon's debut book is so beautifully written, it manages to charm the pants off you and engage your full empathy and compassion at the same time. An intial introduction of the material made me leap to the conclusion that this book would be painful to read: The story of the of a young Cuban- American searching for her father in a communist country, stripped of her financial resources and her dignity, forced to prostitue her body to finance her quest. However, Ms. Wixon flawless delivery of her heroines experience balances her desperation with hilarious situations, such as Alysia's lack of grace as she learns to salsa, struggling to be veiwed as sexy in a society that wears thier sexuality as effortlessly as a comfortable shirt.

I literally could not put this book down. The writing was so crisp and vivid, the descriptions detailed and intricate, but so freshly laid out that you had to rumenate over many of the sentences to allow the full tangy flavor of them to sink in.

What I appreciated most about this full bodied immersion into the Cubano realm was how amazingly unique a people they are. The Latin intellect that allows them to hold opposing beliefs and make peace with that conflict. Thier dignity and humor, not downtrodden and defeated, but thier inane ability to see down the road, bide their time, and appreciate how temporary their current nighmarish situation is. Quick to find fun, eager in thier joy and most of all their dignity and pride. I was overwhelmed by respect and admiration for this pride, peppered with humor, layered with a love for family and friends. An utterly delicious banquet of prose, I am eagerly anticipating Ms. Wixon's next course. Bravo!

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book. I've often stopped to consider if my affection for it has anything to do with my own Cuban ancestry, and perhaps it does. But beyond that, it's comical and touching and some of the most witting writing I've ever read. Lisa Wixon transports her readers into another time and place, allowing us to identify with the surroundings that she called home herself for the greater part of a year, while doing research for this novel. It's a new perspective on a very common way of life, in a country that has nothing, yet whose inhabitants make the best of their meager circumstances. It makes me wonder how different my own life may have been if I had been born in Cuba, rather than as an American with a Cuban family in the United States. A must read!

I've never written a review before on Amazon, but I couldn't get this book out of my head. I picked it up after reading a review in the LA Times. It is amazing how the story puts you right there in Cuba. It is well written, fun and intellectually stimulating. The author had an interesting take on dealing with the touchy topic of jineteras and jineteros, but while leaving the Cubans with their dignity in tact. Although it is 250+ pages, I wish the book had been longer. Other than that it's great. Oh yeah and the sex scenes are fantastic!! A definite must read.

Okay, okay... Warning!!! This book is not for literary snobs... I repeat, this book is not for literary snobs... :)... And please, do not take my observation as an insult if you consider yourself one... I think this book deserves a less than serious review, for all it is. The bad?? I found countless grammatical errors, but we can blame the editor mostly for that... What else others might frown upon?? The way 90's Cuba is portrayed, its young women seen on a new light, blah, blah, blah... What else is bad?? The way Alysia butchers Cuban slang, and some of her less than believable situations, but then again I found that amusing. The good?? The book has a bit of it all: comedy, horror, tears, entertainment and reality. I found it an amusing quick read, possibly more targeted for a young audience. Read it if you are going on vacation to a sunny destination, or if you have a ridiculously long flight. Again, do not dare touch it if you are in search of literary enlightenment, you won't find it here.