Havana USA: Cuban Exiles and Cuban Americans in South Florida, 1959-1994

Almost one million Cubans have fled to the United States since the 1959 revolution that brought Fidel Castro to power. This migration is one of the most fascinating and unusual in American history; it involves a population of largely first-generation immigrants who have adapted economically and politically to American life while maintaining a distinct cultural identity. Maria Cristina Garcia - a Cuban refugee herself, who was raised in the Cuban community of Miami and experienced firsthand many of the developments she describeshas written the most comprehensive and revealing account of the postrevolutionary Cuban migration to date. As exiles, Cubans have tried to define what it means to be Cuban in another country. They have created hundreds of organizations to define and assert their cubanidad. Miami has become the center of Cuban creativity in the United States, and it is home to some of Cuba's most important artists, writers, and intellectuals. Despite their original intentions, the emigres have become as American as they are Cuban. They have integrated into south Florida's labor market and created a vibrant business community that has revitalized the local economy and drawn other immigrants to the area. They have learned to work within the U.S. political system and now demonstrate political clout both in Miami and in Washington, D.C.