Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir (Hispanic Civil Rights) (Hispanic Civil Rights (Paperback)) - Softcover

Evelio Grillo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 155885293X ISBN 13: 9781558852938

Publisher: Arte Publico Press, 2000

Synopsis

Ybor City, Florida, was once a thriving factory town populated by cigar-makers, mostly emigrants from Cuba and Spain. Growing up in Ybor City (now Tampa) in the early twentieth century, the young Evelio Grillo experienced the complexities of life in a horse-and-buggy society demarcated by both racial and linguistic lines: Life was different depending on whether one was Spanish- or English-speaking, a white or black Cuban, a Cuban American or a native-born U.S. citizen, well-off or poor. (Even American-born blacks did not always get along with their Hispanic counterparts.)

Grillo recaptures in prose this unique world that slowly faded away as he grew to adulthood during the Depression. He relates his increasing assimilation into black American society, and then tells of his adventures as a soldier in an all-black unit during World War II. Booklovers may have read of Ybor City in the novels of Jose Yglesias, but never before has it been portrayed from this unique and vital perspective.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Arte Publico Press's landmark "Recovering the U. S. Hispanic Literary Heritage" series has traditionally been devoted to long-lost literary and historical works by Hispanics of many decades - even centuries - past. Publication of Black Cuban, Black American: A Memoir marks the first work by a living author in this series. The reason for this unprecedented honor can be seen in Evelio Grillo's path-breaking life.

From Library Journal:

This work presents a seldom-made contrast, that of the differing experiences of a black man in Cuba and in the United States. Grill, a community organizer and political activist, often tells us of the milder divisions between blacks and whites on his home island and of the much tougher, more inextricable racial barriers for blacks in "el Norte." Not only do whites abuse blacks in Tampa but U.S. blacks also set up hurdles for immigrant blacks such as Grillo and his family. As he is assimilated into U.S. black culture, Grillo documents his understanding and enjoyment of the agencies that American blacks developed to survive, grow, and eventually flourish. The church, the black higher education institutions, mentors who give freely of their time, and the armed forces all helped to give Grillo a greater sense of identity and comprehension. Grillo's narrative is full of details that captivate; he is a very accomplished storyteller. Unfortunately, the end of the work is too abrupt, and we are left wanting to know what happens to Grillo after World War II and in later years. Recommended for African American, Latin American, and diversity collections in public and college libraries.
Rene Perez-Lopez, Norfolk P.L.,VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Arte Publico Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 155885293X
• ISBN 13: 9781558852938
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 134