49 pages • 1 hour read
In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd
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Overview
In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd is Ana Menéndez’s 2001 collection of eleven linked short stories, largely set in Miami, which revolve around the experiences of Cuban immigrants and their American-born children. The New York Times named the collection a Notable Book of the Year, and the title story was awarded the Pushcart Prize for short fiction. The collection includes a diverse mix of realistic fiction, magical realism, and allegory; it explores themes of truth, memory, and storytelling, as well as loss, nostalgia, and dislocation, as they relate both to personal relationships and immigration.
Plot Summary
The first and last stories, “In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd” and “Her Mother’s House,” look at the experiences of first- and second-generation Cuban Americans. When the protagonist of the first story, Máximo, emigrates, he loses his professional identity and the respect it confers. He and his wife reinvent themselves as restaurateurs, but the sense of dislocation lingers. In his restaurant after work, he and his staff of fellow Cuban immigrants exchange stories about Cuba that begin hopefully but end in despair. They struggle to reconcile feelings of nostalgia for an idealized past with the realization that the ideal is an Unlock all 49 pages of this Study Guide Plus, gain access to 8,900+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
