I Was Never the First LadyAuthor :
Paperback
Published : Thursday 29 September 2022
Description
â?oI Was Never The First Lady stitches together threads of island and identity until they became one and the sameâ?▌Guerraâ?Ts own unpredictable book is haunting, complicated, [and] linguistically beautiful.â?? -- The New York TimesA lush, sensuous, and original tale of family, love, and history, set against the backdrop of the Cuban Revolution and its aftermath. Nadia Guerraâ?Ts mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just ten years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that sheâ?Ts an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasnâ?Tt quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia.A Leaving Cuba offers her the chance to find her long lost mother and her real father. But as she embarks on a journey east, Nadia soon begins to question everything she thought she knew and understood about her past. As Nadia discovers more about her family, her fate becomes entwined with that of Celia Sanchez, an icon of the Cuban Revolutionâ?"a resistance fighter, ingenious spy, and the rumored lover of Fidel Castro. A tale of revolutionary ideals and promise, Celiaâ?Ts story interweaves with Nadiaâ?Ts search for meaning, and eventually reveals secrets Nadia could never have dreamed. Translated from the Spanish by Achy Obejas
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