---

Order at any of the retailers below

Shop locally through these indie booksellers

---

Endorsements & Reviews

“The perfect read for anyone who loves rich origin stories, Cuban history, and the warm glow of hearing it all over cafe con leche and maduros at abuelita’s kitchen table.”—Brooke Siem, author of May Cause Side Effects

“A memoir rich with cultural and political narratives and threaded with an intense yearning to belong.”—Madhushree Ghosh, author of Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family

“Barbara Caver beautifully recounts her journey to reclaim her Cuban-American identity. Her lyrical prose creates a rich narrative encompassing family tradition, cuisine, culture, and history. The result is a story as warm, lively, and colorful as the streets of modern-day Havana, where family memories beckon at every turn. It is a memoir that will resonate with anyone who has struggled to understand their family’s past and embrace their place in it.”—Vicki Mayk, author of Growing Up On The Gridiron: Football, Friendship, and the Tragic Life of Owen Thomas

“An evocative, poignant, and fearless journey. Caver has, with sensitivity and wit, pierced through her family’s generational trauma of being ripped from their homeland to claim her rich heritage that fills her like a soothing Cuban café con leche. With joyful optimism, she has distilled the gift of being beautifully bi-cultural.”—Kathryn K. Abdul-Baki, author of Dancing Into the Light: An Arab-American Girlhood in the Middle East

“A heartfelt memoir of identity, memory, and rediscovery, A Little Piece of Cuba captures one woman’s journey from South Carolina to Havana—and from uncertainty to belonging—as she reclaims her Cuban heritage through language, food, family stories, and five unforgettable days in the land her ancestors once called home.”—Alicia M. Rodriguez, author of The Shaman’s Wife: A Mystical Journey of Surrender and Self-Discovery

“What a beautiful story! Barbara Caver takes us on her journey of discovering her Cuban roots in a way that makes you feel like you are right there with her, whether that’s on her grandparents farm in Louisiana or in the middle of Havana. A Little Piece of Cuba is well worth the read.” –Joni Luciano, NetGalley

“This book was right up my alley – I love reading about the nuances and complexities of cultural identity. A Little Piece of Cuba is a memoir about Barbara, a second-generation Cuban American who has struggled with what that label truly means and what her Cuban heritage means to her. I’ve personally struggled with cultural identity and with questions around what it means to be Hispanic, especially the feeling of not being “authentic” enough. I really appreciated reading about Barbara’s exploration of her heritage, food, and traditions, and how she ultimately redefined what Cuban identity means to her through this journey. I also learned a lot about Cuba’s history and culture I wasn’t familiar with. Her description of the streets, the people, and the ambience made me feel like I was traveling alongside her to Cuba.” –Karianna Maldonado, NetGalley

“I enjoyed this book. Two sentences that stood out to me: “Not remembering is different from forgetting” and “Assumptions are dangerous.” We must remember history and learn from it. We must not make assumptions about people based on appearances. Barbara was open about the struggle to find how she fit and how her family’s Cuban origins were a part of her.” –Rachel French, NetGalley

“I read this while traveling and thought it was an inspiring way to think about the intersection between cultural identity, family, and language. We learn through Caver’s journey about the importance of history and healing in Cuba. The descriptions of food and buildings felt nostalgic and made me feel like I was dusting off someone’s diary and reading a narrative of their entries.” –Daniela Martinez, NetGalley

“I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I believe it is important to learn and experience your culture and that’s what Barbara was doing. Learned quite a bit about Cuba’s history and some traditions.” –Bethany Proctor, NetGalley

“Looking for your heritage when you don’t have real connections to your homeland isn’t easy. And if this homeland is Cuba it wasn’t easy to go and see for yourself where you come from, where your grandparents lived. I guess a lot of people are on the same journey. By looking for your identity, heritage might play an important role.” –Barbara Tsipsouras, NetGalley

“What a great read! I could relate to this memoir on many levels – not as a Cuban American, but as a great-granddaughter of Irish immigrants, and as someone fortunate enough to have visited Havana. The author recounts growing up feeling like she didn’t belong as a “real Cuban” until she visited her mother’s homeland as an adult. She paints her family in rich strokes, letting the reader see how they helped shape her upbringing and her confusion about her heritage. She shares details of her trip to Havana in such a way that brought back sweet memories for me as a visitor. This was a relatively short read (I finished it in one day as a slow reader), and I would recommend it to anyone who loves Chanel Cleeton’s books, is interested in Cuban history, or simply enjoys reading memoirs. This one is told beautifully and masterfully.” — Dianne King-McGavin, NetGalley

“This book made me travel back to Cuba. It was a beautiful story of how the author tried to find cultural identity which I relate to a lot but in a different way.” –Catherine Gilbert, NetGalley

“Let’s do it the Cuban way: grab a cup of café con leche and sink into this beautiful, heartfelt, and reflective memoir—a journey through Havana, memory, and identity. Her portrait of Havana is alive on the page: the honest ice cream vendor, the warm-hearted BnB hostess, the music that drifts down the streets, the sunlit beaches, the architecture, and—oh, the food! Even a little dog appears as an unexpected tour guide, adding a touch of whimsy to the streets of the city. So what is Cuban heritage? What does it mean to belong, to inherit, to remember? This is the heart of Barbara’s quest. I was especially moved by this reflection, when she considers the strength of her Cuban American grandmother and her Irish American grandmother—two roots entwined in her own being: “Cultures do not have to clash; they can twist together and support the growth and flourishing of a new branch, strong and secure in roots.” — Michelle Wong, NetGalley