Life on the Hyphen: The Cuban-American Way [Paperback]

Gustavo Perez Firmat (Author), Gustavo Perez Firmat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1994

From Desi Arnaz and "I Love Lucy" to Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Cuban-Americans have conga'd and mambo'd their way into the heart of popular culture in the United States. This engaging book, which mixes the author's own story with his reflections as a trained observer, explores how both famous and ordinary members of the "1.5 Generation" (Cubans who came to United States as children or adolescents) have lived "life on the hyphen," neither fully Cuban nor fully American, but a fertile hybrid of both. Ranging widely from music to movies to television to literature, Gustavo Perez Firmat chronicles what it means to be Cuban in America. He offers an in-depth look at Cuban-Americans who have become icons of popular and literary culture, including Desi Arnaz, Oscar Hijuelos (whose The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love won the Pulitzer Prize and became a major motion picture), musician Perez Prado, poet Jose Kozer, and crossover pop stars Gloria Estefan and Jon Secada.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From Desi Arnaz, arguably still the most famous Cuban to hit U.S. shores, to current pop star Gloria Estefan, Cuban Americans have had to balance life within two cultures, one representing their past, one their present and future. While acknowledging that a Cuban presence has flourished in the U.S. for more than 400 years, Perez Firmat directs his attention toward what it means to be a Cuban American in the second half of this century, when a recognizable "hyphenated" culture has emerged. Firmat, who teaches Spanish at Duke, seamlessly weaves both personal observances and scholarly analysis of television programs, such as I Love Lucy , music, literature and movies to prove his point: that members of the "1.5 generation," those Cubans who came to the U.S. as children or adolescents, are neither fully Cuban nor fully American, but a dynamic combination of both. Exploring in-depth the art and lives of several Cuban American cultural icons, including Arnaz, author Oscar Hijuelos, poet Jose Kozer, musicians Estefan, Perez Prado and Jon Secada, as well as the mambo and conga dance crazes, Firmat vividly demonstrates how Cuban Americans, while battling assimilation and regression, have greatly enriched popular culture in the U.S. Photos.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Perez Firmat (Spanish, Duke Univ.) analyzes Cuban American popular culture as represented in the efforts of writers and entertainers from actor/bandleader Desi Arnaz through singer Gloria Estefan and novelist Oscar Hijuelos. Unfortunately, though Perez Firmat sees this as an individual's account of the times through which he has lived, he seldom emerges in a personal way. However, he does succeed in presenting a clear analysis of a changing Cuban American popular culture. His examination of important facets of "life on the hyphen" grants insights that will help those outside the Cuban American experience to understand it and help those within it to gain a deeper perspective. The clear writing and solid understanding of the Cuban American experience will enhance the appeal of this significant work in both public and academic libraries.
James E. Ross, Seattle P.L.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 231 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press (January 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292765517
• ISBN-13: 978-0292765511
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #199,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #53 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Cuba

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Force in the World of Exile Theory, April 26, 2007

By 

Jared Weatherholtz "Jared Mexico" (Nashville, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life on the Hyphen: The Cuban-American Way (Paperback)

After buying many Gustavo Perez Firmat books to glean in preparing to write my senior thesis on Cuban-American identity, I grew to love this man's work. Perez Firmat is honest, creative, educated, and experienced! An exile himself, he is able to back up his analysis of the exile experience with his own history.

This book stands out above his other works as the most significant. In it, he relates ideas about the exile experience, such as his exposition of what it means to live "on the hyphen," and the extent of the challenges that exiled children face (the 1.5 Generation). Perez Firmat applies theory to 20th Century Cuban-American examples.

This is a powerhouse in the world of Cuban-American Studies. It is written by a man in high standing academea (current professor at Columbia Univ.), but the book speaks in clear, concise language that can be enjoyed by anyone interested in the topic. I highly recommend the book and hope that you will use this book as a jumping point to read Perez Firmat's other books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read, August 11, 2009

By 

Andrew J. Rodriguez (Golden, Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life on the Hyphen: The Cuban-American Way (Paperback)

Every Cuban immigrant who arrives in this country searching for political asylum, has tons of personal stories to share with the American people regarding oppression, persecution, torture, and the violation of human rights.

As I finished reading Perez-Firmat's book "Life on the Hyphen," I couldn't help but wonder what percentage of today's Americans, especially the young, would listen and learn from our experiences if for no other reason, at least to ensure they don't repeat the same mistakes or underestimate the evil powers that threaten our democracy now more than ever.

I also realized that with the passage of time there will be less and less Cuban-Americans able to share their individual experiences about pre-revolution life in Cuba, under communist dictatorship, and ultimately, the struggles of Cuban exiles to assimilate the American culture without losing their genuine Cuban values and identities.

If nowaday Americans would pay serious attention to our fifty-year plight and to the lessons learned as a result, they would appreciate much more what America means to us immigrants and to the world at large. Let's just hope the Cuban tragedy does not repeat itself in the land of the free.

In the words of Jorge Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."


Andrew J. Rodriguez
Award-winning author: "Adios, Havana," a Memoir.