Under Cuba’s Hood:
What Cubans Say About Their Old American Cars
Bilingual Edition
An author-created site
to expose my work and entreat collaborations
This book is not a history of the American automobile in Cuba. It’s about Cubans, and what moves, sustains, and entertains them. It’s about an island that I was fortunate enough to observe up close and become a part of.
The author -truly more curator than author- does not profess to be a car expert, a devoted automobile enthusiast, or a Cuban studies scholar. Instead, this book’s genesis might be traced to a mother’s insistence, in the late-1960s that a 12-year-old kid turn off the Cubs game or Gilligan’s Island, and take the short walk to Midvale Boulevard in Madison,
Wisconsin to work toward a Boy Scout Merit Badge, “listing and labeling” makes and models of passing cars.
Blame it on mom, the Boy Scouts, and a subsequent career in Latin American book distribution. I was a book distributor with a book to publish.
Between 1998 and 2002 I traveled to Cuba some dozen times as owner of Libros Sin Fronteras, a Spanish language book distribution company. My job was to identify Cuban published books and music which merited import and distribution into U.S. pubic and university libraries. It was work I enjoyed; but truth be told: I found myself spellbound
by the cars. I was in Cuba: a privileged, USA-American with an ear for Cuban Spanish and a lifelong passion to be with people, not around them.
Reviews
"The book is wonderful in every respect, both text and photos. The Cuban old cars topic is of interest to many... You have had the vision of acknowledging the history and evolution of the cars and enhancing it with compelling photos thus, making them individual characters. By connecting the cars to the persons behind them, the book becomes not only twice as engaging, but an insight into Cuban life."
Alma Flor Ada, Pura Belpre Award-Winning Cuban American Author
"Gorgeous book about the relationship between Cubans and their old American cars. Whether you are a car enthusiast or not, this book not only presents stunning photos of old American cars, but the American car culture that thrives in Cuba to this day. Mr. Shapiro presents this culture through amazing vignettes. Intimate stories that reveal the loving connection between owners and cars… presented both in English and in Spanish. The book itself feels as if it too had been lifted from a different era."
Doron W., Seattle, WA
“Absolutely lovely. Those old American cars are one of the most revealing, emblematic, and universal symbols of Cuba, and I can't imagine that a better overview of it has ever been put together. I've had the book in our living room and my daughter noted -- as someone who continues to practice her Spanish, the side-by-side translation makes it great for a student of the language!.”
Monte Reel, New York Times Best-selling Author
“It has been comforting… a kind of reunion with the island, with its people; a fun and interesting trip… without taking a plane. And if there is one thing that can be contagious, it is the joy and ingenuity of the Cuban people in dealing with one of their greatest problems: transportation. Thanks to the author and the photographer for this wonderful idea transformed into words and images."
Margarita M., Florida
"I want to buy a coffee table, just to display this book - brilliant!"
Leyla S. Wisconsin