Copyright © 2016 by Pedro García-Menocal
Published by Mango Media Inc.
Editors: Hugo Villabona and Natalia Macias
Front and Back Cover, Interior Design,
Theme and Layout: Laura Mejía
Illustrations by: Gustavo “Garrincha” Rodriguez
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission.
ISBN 978-1-63353-457-5
This book is dedicated to the memory
of Pedro G. Menocal (1928-2001)
Table of Contents
“Abuela’s Way of Showing Love”
“Kids, from the Classroom to the Playground”
“Spirituality and Superstition”
“Money, Politics, and Business”
“The History and Natural Beauty of the Island Trapped in Time”
“The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”
Sometime before he died in 2001, my father wrote a glossary of Cuban words for Cuban things which he called Cubanisms. His intention was to make Cubanisms better known to people around the world. He wanted the book to help both English and Spanish speaking people understand the meaning of Cuban words and, he hoped, understand the Cuban people.
Although my father never published the book, it was passed around among his many friends and relatives for years and years. I read the book many times and learned all about the words and phrases that my father used almost every day. With this book, I want to finish what he started and provide you, the reader, with a modern, current description of today’s Cuban language.
This book is not a comprehensive dictionary. In fact, it’s not really a dictionary at all. It is a narrative that uses words and art to illustrate the depth and humor of the Cuban language. I referred a lot to my father’s book and
Introduction
I
