{"product_id":"es-cuba-life-and-love-on-an-illegal-island-paperback","title":"Es Cuba: Life and Love on an Illegal Island - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLea Aschkenas\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eEs Cuba\u003c\/i\u003e is a poignant and passionate travel memoir about falling in love with a country and one of its compatriots. Aschkenas never strays from her acute awareness that there is no way to separate her foreignness (intensified by U.S.-Cuba relations) from the complex mix of emotions, devotion and rejection, enrapture and apprehension that she develops toward the country.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer tale is filled with beautifully woven descriptions of Cuba and the customs and habits of its people. Aschkenas is a discerning observer, taking in the innocence, isolation, contradictions, and resolute optimism of a people who have persevered against the collective disappointment bestowed upon them by a government that has been unable to deliver the utopia promised by socialism.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAschkenas, already a seasoned traveler by the time she arrives in Cuba for the first time in 1999, is overcome by her own passion for Cuba and her unraveling affection for Alfredo as she comes to appreciate his naïveté, sincerity, and ability to live for the moment, something she comes to realize is the effect of growing up in a culture where nothing is ever certain.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLea Aschkenas has written book reviews and articles for the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post Book World, San Francisco Chronicle Book Review, salon.com\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eMs.\u003c\/i\u003e Her travel writing has been published in \u003ci\u003eOutside\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Bay Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e and her poetry has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eMaryland Poetry Review\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBeside the Sleeping Maiden: Poets of Marin\u003c\/i\u003e. Aschkenas works at a public library and teaches poetry at public schools. She lives in the Bay Area with her husband, Alfredo. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 360\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.81 x 7.55 x 5.53 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e December 20, 2005\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAward:\u003c\/strong\u003e Independent Publisher Book Awards (2007)\u003c\/div\u003e\n                ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52799633195315,"sku":"9781580051798","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/dzNGTWdDaks1L1VkTTlNZ0pnTWVUdz09.webp?v=1764774149","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/es-cuba-life-and-love-on-an-illegal-island-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}