Some things in life you just can’t choose—like your parents or your ethnic background. These are the things we are born with and as much as we may want to change it, we can’t. Our job is to not let our differences break us. People like Isabel Diaz wish they had control over these things in life. In the book, “Cubanita” by Gaby Triana, Isabel and her mother constantly bump heads on how Isa fails to embrace her Cuban culture. Triana tells a fiction story of a teenager’s summer after graduation and all the demanding problems she faces.
In the book, seventeen year old Isabel was born and raised in Miami, Florida and doesn’t see the importance in learning about her Cuban heritage. All Isa’s mom wants is for Isabel to know what it is to be Cuban and the history of their culture, but all Isa wants to do is act like a normal teenager in America without all the challenges that her mother creates for her. The more Isa’s mother tries to educate her on their culture, the more Isa is ready for the fall to come; she can’t wait to start college at the University of Michigan (U of M), not only so she can start her future, but to get away from her past. Isa is tired of her mom’s constant nags.
The summer before Isa started at the U of M was an emotional rollercoaster for her. She had just graduated high school and there was a lot of stress riding on her. Isabel’s family went through a life changing health scare that made Isa reconsider her decision to leave for college over 1,000 miles away from home, or to stay close and attend a nearby college close to her loved ones. Along with Isa’s family problems she had relationship drama to deal with, also. That drama was Andrew.
She thought her older boyfriend, Andrew, was a great catch. He was good looking, told her nice things, made her feel good, and was even enrolled in college to earn his business degree. He had a promising future. But Isa’s mother was uneasy about her daughter’s relationship with Andrew, making it hard for them to be together, although, that didn’t stop Isa from falling for him. Hard. Will Isa and Andrew stick it out despite the lack of her mother’s acceptance or will Isa realize her mother was right all along and reach out to connect with her cultural roots?
Gaby Triana’s “Cubanita” is a fantastic book. There is so much going on that you can’t, and won’t get bored with. I like how Ms. Triana’s book wasn’t predictable. It kept me interested. The ending was a perfect touch. Since all parents and their children are bound to have disagreements, this book’s theme and characters are relatable to people all over the world—Cuban or not. If you enjoy fast paced books, I would definitely suggest “Cubanita” to you. This is a good book to consider if you lose interest quickly because it is short and gets right to the point.
As much as we don’t like it, there are things in life we can’t change. Even though we may want to, we can’t just trade in our ethnicity and family. These are the things we are born with. Triana does a creative job creating contrast among the characters and bouncing from one scene to the next. . This book is an interesting page turner.