Cubanita

August 1, 2005
Gr 10 Up -Isabel Dí az is spending her summer between high school and college teaching art at a summer camp, avoiding her mother's pressure to embrace her Cuban roots, and flirting with an older man. Triana deftly weaves the Spanish language and the flavor of Miami's Cuban population into her fast-paced story. Although Isabel has moments of maturity well beyond her years, the tug of war between her mother's traditional ideas of how a young Cuban-American woman should behave and Isabel's struggle to become her own person will resonate with many teens, whatever their cultural background. Steamy scenes between Isabel and her sleazy love interest are well balanced between the gradual acceptance of her heritage and her evolving relationship with her mother. Isabel's story is an entertaining read that will be gobbled up by "cubanitas" and non-"cubanitas" alike." -Melissa Christy Buron, Epps Island Elementary, Houston, TX"

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