Tony Mendoza

Before I start... I was a student in photography when Mendoza taught there but never took one of his classes (to be honest I wasn't nearly good enough to take his advanced classes. My goal was for slightly artistic photojournalism so I chose to minor but didn't even finish that before Ohio State tore down the walls of the photo faculty and rolled them into the art school So my actual contact was listening to a guest lecture that was clever, honest and funny I have been a fan ever since.)
For a little perspective on Mendoza I recommend his website which refreshed my memory of his lecture and helped me see the photographs with his dry narration in my head.
OK, sorry gushing over.
I loved this book. OK, I lied, I gush. My greatest disappointment is that I wanted more. (A little sore that my tuition paid for such a short book despite the understanding that an artist must leave you wanting more).
I was in East Germany in 1992 and Russia in 2004 but the pictures and narration still shocked me. Mendoza's eye always is toward the tiny quirk that makes the entire image just off enough to avoid plain vanilla. So even though the obvious 'people are poor but resourceful' conclusion is here it is nowhere near the point. Mendoza plays American tourist, returned exile, and local done good lightly and never spends more time on any before switching gears to his subtle humor in image and text.

Oh just read it. It's good and I liked it. But clearly I can't do justice with my hackneyed fawning.… (mere)

Tony is a child of the 50s growing up in a changing Cuba where old world customs and superstitions rule while time stops for no man and neither does progress. Mendoza’s Cuba is colorfully and nostalgically written. His affection for the country and time shine through the narrative. The country of Cuba is a character unto itself in A Cuban Summer and truly one of the best ones.

Tony comes from a wealthy family which affords him certain luxuries and freedoms that other characters of the era may not enjoy enhancing the experience for the reader and as the character heads for broadening our experience of a long gone Cuba. We’re able to leave Havana and follow him to Varadero Beach where his grandparents own a home. Tony’s family is restrictive in that they don’t talk about a politically changing Cuba as discussion of politics is forbidden. Employees of the family help shape Tony’s view of the world and enable him to do things he would never have imagined being able to do that ultimately shape who he is as a character. To Mendoza’s credit, everything about the way Tony is written screams of an authentic 13-year-old character. Tony is a character written so well that he springs from the page.

A Cuban Summer was a fun read. Tony and the story are written with a respect to real human experience. Tony experiences laughter, love, sadness and the sweet pain of growing up. His journey through this story was one that we’ve heard a thousand times with truly special and unique spin.

Mendoza is a great writer and A Cuban Summer is a fabulous novel. If you like nostalgic works that speak with the spirit of a long gone era, pick this one up today.… (mere)