Cuba 15

Reviewed by Mark Frye, author and reviewer for TeensReadToo.com

Violet Paz gives little thought to her ethnicity. She's half-Cuban and half-Polish, but all American. She takes her father's roots for granted, even if her crazy relatives are always visiting for mega-Domino tournaments and zany cookouts. But when her grandmother and parents insist that she participate in her "quince," she is forced into a reluctant and embarrassed embrace with an "old world" tradition.

This debut novel masterfully and subtly details the modernization of the quinceanero, a coming-of-age party for a Latina's fifteenth birthday, through the eyes of a clever and humorous teen living near Chicago. The author, Nancy Osa, accurately captures the resentment of show more parental influence some teens experience in their quest for their own identity. As Violet struggles with being forced to participate in her own quince, she seeks advice from other adult figures who help her balance parental expectations with her own need for independence. Osa pulls off this high-wire act masterfully, not going "over the top" in teen rebellion fashion, nor making Violet an unbelievably acquiescent parent-pleaser.

Osa weaves the subplot into the novel quite well, also. It makes Violet's self-discovery a double success story: not only does she make her quince relevant to her modern, American life, but she uses her zany family's exploits as fodder for her speech team event.

CUBA 15 has received considerable attention and been nominated for numerous awards. This is a likeable story from a "new" author I hope we hear from again! Five stars. show less

The book is light hearted while tackling serious issues and should appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Anyone with a quirky family will relate to this book, and Violet’s use of comedy is a positive example. The sections about Cuba are educational without being biased and show various points of view even within Violet’s own family. The quince does not dominate the plot, and any ethnic teen who feels more American than they feel their parents’ culture will relate to Violet’s dilemma.

Violet Paz is a typical Chicago suburban teen: she enjoys hanging out with her two best friends, her younger brother perpetually annoys her, she is caught in the excitement of performing for her school’s speech team, and she is experiencing the thrills of her first crush in a classmate and fellow “speechie.” Violet Paz is also not a typical teen with her unique Polish and Cuban heritage, a mother who dresses and decorates their home from the treasures of her thrift store job, a father and grandparents who refuse to discuss their Cuban heritage, and an entire family who is obsessed with dominoes. On top of all of this, Violet has just turned 15 and her grandmother is insistent that they celebrate Violet’s “quince,” a show more tradition that Violet has little knowledge of (other than it involves pink, fluffy dresses and fussy tiaras), and has equally little interest in. To please her family, Violet finds herself going along with the celebration, but also learns more about her ethnic background, her family, and herself as she plans to observe her “quince” on her own terms.
While the celebration of Violet’s quinceanero is the foundation for this novel, the story is accessible to all teens with other storylines of generational culture clashes, the trials of growing up (including first love), the anxiety and pride of public speaking, and the hilarity of having an unapologetically colorful family. This is a smart and funny book that will appeal to teens with Violet’s original voice and pop culture references while providing a brief education on Cuban history along with some basic Spanish vocabulary. show less

I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! I'm actually surprised by how i fast i read this! I think it has to do with the fact that i really liked it :)

Violet Paz is a sophomore in High School who has just turned 15 years old. Her family is half Polish and half Cuban, yet she feels in between because she doesn't know much about her family roots, especially her Cuban side. When her Abuela (Grandmother) brings up the subject of a Quinceañero, Violet immediately objects to this nonsense. Who in there right mind would want to wear a puffy dress the color of petmol bistmol? Let alone, get in front of a crowd of people and proclaim your womanhood?

These are the types of questions and thoughts that linger through Violet's head as her family insist that she have a show more Quince Fiesta. In case you don't know, a Quinceañero is a traditional coming of age party for Latina girls when they turn 15. A bit similar to a Sweet 16 party. While reading this book i remembered when i turned 15, it really was a special moment for me! I didn't have a Quince fiesta though- i didn't want one. Nancy Osa did such a great job capturing that feeling of when a girl is in that part of her life where she comes to terms with becoming a Señorita (Young Lady)

There is also a Sub-Plot in this story that ties in PERFECTLY with the plot of Violet, planning her Quince with her family and two best friends. In school, Violet is invited to join the Speech Team with her two best friends by one of their teacher's. Violet is placed in the Original Comedy section of the team and to her surprise, she finds inspiration for her original piece from her family.Through this assignment, Violet finds herself seeking answers about her Cuban heritage. She even reaches the point where boundaries end up being crossed which results in a heartfelt climax with her family.

I believe that a lot of girls would find this book to be an interesting read! It's funny, life like, and touching! Girls who are planning on having a Quince Fiesta will definitely enjoy this story! Grab this book Señoritas! :) show less

personal response: This most enjoyable part of this story is Violet's struggle to maintain the sense of individuality and American identity that she has established while trying to allow herself to be open to contemplation of ideas about her heritage. I think many teenagers can identify with this same struggle as they begin to come into their own and are faced with trying to see the world for themselves versus following in their family's views in order to please them.
Grades 8-10

curricular connections:

This is a humorous book centered around a girl living in Chicago who is turning 15. Her grandmother is determined she will have a traditional Hispanic quince with a court and frilly dress.The plots become entwined with Violet's involvement in a public speaking team at school, her impending quince and her fascination with her father's home of Cuba. She is even more intrigued by Cuba when her father refuses to talk about his heritage. This curiousity gets Violet in trouble near the end of the book and as the reader you feel her pain as she is severely reprimanded by her family. I felt it all was so unfair to Violet yet I did not come from her parent's background. Amid this seriousness of that subject is the haliriaty of her crazy family show more who love to play dominoes and party. There is the element of love as Violet experiences her first boyfriend Clarence. Her brother Mark adds just the right amount of sibling problem as he gets on her nerves.
The book reads slowly through its almost 300 pages but proves to be a fun one to read. show less

“What can be funny about having to stand up in front of everyone you know, in a ruffly-dress the color of Pepto-Bismol, and proclaim your womanhood? Nothing… Nothing funny at all. At least that’s what I thought in September.” In Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa, Violet Paz is a 15 year old girl who is struggling to find herself, all while trying to plan her Quinceñero, the Cuban celebration to “womanhood” a girl experiences at 15 years of age. Her father is of Cuban culture and her mother is Polish, but Violet is clearly less than thrilled to explore her culture or celebrate the traditional party. However, when beginning the planning for her Quinceñero, Violet decides to educate herself about her Cuban culture and learn more about her show more family. She becomes interested and grows to love her family and heritage.

Throughout the course of the story, Violet is dealing with two major conflicts- figuring out who she truly is and which culture she should identify with. Since Violet is of teenage years, she grows and learns throughout the story about not only her culture and family, but herself as well. She comes to the conclusion that she doesn’t have to pick one identity to go by, and is proud of her multi-cultural family roots. This realistic fiction book has multiple themes, including Cuban Americans, Quinceñeros, Identity, and Multi-cultural immigrant families.

The theme of this book connects to the theme of the American Dream because Violet is dealing with internal and external conflicts (such as who she truly is, and how she should go about learning her cultures) the same way someone hoping to reach the American Dream does. Violet learns of identity and matures throughout the story the same way one trying to the reach the American Dream would. Both deal with struggles to reach their goals and learn important life lessons along the way, such as Violet accepting and embracing the fact that she comes from a multi-cultural family.

The story itself is very humorous from the moment you open the book, which made it extremely enjoyable. It follows the exciting events and happenings of a teenager from a biracial family, but is still an easy read that is very entertaining. The entire story is very believable, from the rate that Violet is maturing to the realistic accompanying characters, such as her family, best friends, and new boyfriend. The only slight problem
with this book is that it is a little slow at times, but other than that it was a very amusing read. Even readers who aren’t in a multi-cultural family will enjoy this book. Read this story to experience a life-changing adventure with Violet as she “takes a deep breath, opens her mouth, and lets the truth come out.” -B.M. show less