Join the Library and Politics and Prose fo r another conversation in our La Comunidad series with Lupita Aquino (aka Lupita Reads). Lupita will host an engaging discussion featuring esteemed special guests &mdash\; Jennine Capó\; Crucet author of the forthcom ing book Say Hello To M y Little Friend \;and Melissa Rivero author of Flores and Miss Paula< /em>\, as we delve into \;the way both novels navigate themes of s elf-identity and autonomy\, through the characters grappling with their de sires\, dreams\, and responsibilities amidst familial expectations and soc ietal pressures.
\nCopies of the book will be available for sale by Politics and Prose bookstore\, and a limited number of copies will be avai lable to give away courtesy of the DC Public Library Foundation. \;
\nAbout the Authors:
\nMelissa Rivero \;is the author of \;The Affairs of the Falcó\;ns\, which won the 2019 New American Voices Award and a 2020 International Lati no Book Award. The book was also long-listed for the PEN/Hemingway Award f or Debut Novel\, the Center for Fiction&rsquo\;s First Novel Prize\, and t he Aspen Words Literary Prize. Born in Lima\, Peru\, and raised in Brookly n\, she is a graduate of NYU and Brooklyn Law School. She still lives in B rooklyn with her family.
\nFlores and Miss Paula - Thirtysomething F lores and her mother\, Paula\, still live in the same Brooklyn apartment\, but that may be the only thing they have in common. It's been nearly thre e years since they lost beloved husband and father Martí\;n\, who ha d always been the bridge between them. One day\, cleaning beneath his urn\ , Flores discovers a note written in her mother's handwriting: \;Perd& oacute\;name si te falle. Recuerda que siempre te quise. ("Forgive me if I failed you. Remember that I always loved you.") \;But what would Paul a need forgiveness for?
\nNow newfound doubts and old memories come flooding in\, complicating each woman's efforts to carve out a good life f or herself--and to support the other in the same. Paula thinks Flores shou ld spend her evenings meeting a future husband\, not crunching numbers for a floundering aquarium startup. Flores wishes Paula would ask for a raise at her DollaBills retail job\, or at least find a best friend who isn't a married man.
\nWhen Flores and Paula learn they will be forced to m ove\, they must finally confront their complicated past--and decide whethe r they share the same dreams for the future. Spirited and warm-hearted\, M elissa Rivero's new novel showcases the complexities of the mother-daughte r bond with fresh insight and empathy.
\nJennine Capó\ ; Crucet is the author of four books\, including the novel \; Make Your Home Among Strangers\, which won the International Latino Book A ward and was cited as a best book of the year by NBC Latino\, \;The Gu ardian\, The Miami Herald\, and others\; the story collection \;How to Leave Hialeah\, which won the Iowa Short Fiction Prize and the John Gardn er Book Award\; and the essay collection \;My Time Among the Whites:&n bsp\;Notes from an Unfinished Education\, which was long-listed for the PE N/Open Book Award. A former contributing opinion writer for \;The New York Times\, she&rsquo\;s a recipient of a PEN/O. Henry Prize and the Hill sdale Award for the Short Story\, awarded by the Fellowship of Southern Wr iters. Her writing has appeared on PBS NewsHour\, National Public Radio\, and in publications such as \;The Atlantic\, Condé\; Nast Travel er\, and others. She&rsquo\;s worked as a professor of ethnic studies and of creative writing\, as a college access counselor for the One Voice Scho lars Program\, and as a sketch comedienne (though not all at the same time ). Born and raised in Miami to Cuban parents\, she lives in North Carolina with her family.
\n \;
SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND -Fail
ed Pitbull impersonator Ismael Reyes--you can call him Izzy--might not be
the \;Scarface \;type\, but why should that keep him from trying?
Growing up in Miami has shaped him into someone who dreams of being the Ki
ng of the 305\, with the money\, power\, and respect he assumes comes with
it. After finding himself at the mercy of a cease-and-desist letter from
Pitbull's legal team and living in his aunt's garage-turned-efficiency\, I
zzy embarks on an absurd quest to turn himself into a modern-day Tony Mont
ana.
\;
When Izzy's efforts lead him to the tank that ho uses Lolita\, a captive orca at the Miami Seaquarium\, she proves just how powerful she and the water surrounding her really are--permeating everyth ing from Miami's sinking streets to Izzy's memories to the very heart of t he novel itself. What begins as Izzy's story turns into a super-saturated fever dream as sprawling and surreal as the Magic City\, one as sharp as a n iguana's claws\, and as menacing as a killer whale's teeth. As the truth surrounding Izzy's boyhood escape from Cuba surfaces\, the novel reckons with the forces of nature\, with the limits and absence of love\, and with the dangers of pursuing a tragic inheritance. Wildly narrated and expertl y rendered\, \;Say Hello to My Little Friend \;is Jennine Cap&oacu te\; Crucet's most daring\, heart-breaking\, and fearless book yet.
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