In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd

By: Ana Menéndez

Narrated by: Maria Rodriguez Saravia

Pushcart Prize winner Ana Menendez landed firmly in the literary landscape last year with the hardcover publication of In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd. Reviewers overwhelmingly agree that she is an important new voice in American fiction: hers is "a bright debut that points to even brighter accomplishments to come" (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times), a tour de force that is "poignant and varied, emotionally vivid and hauntingly melancholy" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "a Cuban odyssey that conjures up Eugene O'Neill-like drama" (Kirkus Reviews).

In these linked tales about the Cuban-American experience and the immigrant experience in general, Ana Menendez has instantly established herself as a natural storyteller who "probes with steady humor and astute political insight the dreams versus the realities of her characters" (Elle). From the prizewinning title story - a masterpiece of humor and heartbreak - unfolds a series of family snapshots that illuminate the landscape of an exiled community rich in heritage, memory, and longing for the past. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd is at once "tender and sharp-fanged" (L.A. Weekly) as Ana Menendez charts the territory from Havana to Coral Gables with unforgettable passion and explores whether any of us are capable, or even truly desirous, of outrunning our origins.

©2001 Ana Menéndez. "In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd" originally appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story. "Amor de Loca Juventud" by Rafael Ortiz. Copyright 1997 by Peer International Corporation. International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission. Recorded by arrangement with Grove Atlantic, Inc. (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Critic reviews

"Achingly wise." (Richard Eder, the New York Times Book Review)

"Menendez taps into [a] wellspring of broken promises and unfulfilled desires and gives us a... peek at... the Cuban-American experience." (Ariel Gonzalez, The Miami Herald)

"Menendez offers a lilting narrative that sways soulfully between past and present, longing and regret, joy and tragedy." (Donna Rifkind, The Baltimore Sun)

A relevant collection albeit weak at some points

A fresh perspective on exile, memory, assimilation and longings of all types. Some of the stories worked for me, some didn’t. Those that worked were because they spoke to the intergenerational aspects of the character involved. The reaching out to describe that which lives in memory while knowing the limits of the spoken word in conveying poignancy. The story that didn’t work were those that deployed the magical surreal. A character biting off it fingers, flares of dramatic burst, etc., For me these renderings were with all due respect to the author, over wrought and done before. They compelled less than the story of the men playing dominos and the woman visiting her mothers home in Cuba. I should mention that the reader distracted me from the text at times. This happened when the reader inflected a Cuban accent in English. This didn’t work for me. It seemed like a caricature and distracted from the action in the story. I wonder what would have happened if the reader would have just read without the Cuban infection? Now strangely, or maybe not, the inflection of a Cuban accent in Spanish seemed authentic. Perhaps the dissonance stems from the notion that there are many types of Cuban inflections, even within the same generation.. perhaps denoting social earmarks like providence, education, urban versus rural.. etc.,

Good story, not great

Not a bad story by any means, but not my favorite piece of Cuban Lit.

Love at first listen!

Great performance by this talented reader, Maria Rodriguez Savaria, of this spectacular prose by Ana Menedez. Story telling at its greatest- strong characters with complex psychology, settings and culture as dynamic as the characters. A deep understanding of the way people experience intimate relationships with each other and the places they live.

Not for me

The performance was good but the stories did not speak to me. They were not my cup of tea.