Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Reviews of Cuba 15

Cuba 15
Cuba 15
Author: Nancy Osa
ISBN-13: 9780385732338
ISBN-10: 0385732333
Pages: 304
Reading Level: Young Adult
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 9

4.1 stars, based on 9 ratings
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

4 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

GeniusJen avatar reviewed Cuba 15 on + 5322 more book reviews
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 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.
reviewed Cuba 15 on + 41 more book reviews
I'm 46 and I really enjoyed this coming of age novel written well in the first person. Well done-- it got an award, well deserved!
reviewed Cuba 15 on
I absolutely love this book! Being Cuban myself, I could relate to everything the main character's family does... the parties, the food, the arguments, all of it! I found myself laughing out loud several times throughout the book. It's a great book about a young lady's coming-of-age.
reviewed Cuba 15 on + 12 more book reviews
Voilet Paz has just turned fifteen, a pivotal birthday in the eyes of her Cuban grandmother. Fifteen is the age when a girl enters womanhood, traditionally celebrating the occaison with a quinceanero. But while Voilet may be half Cuban, she's also half Polish, and more importantly, she feels 100% American. So when she begrudgingly accepts Abuela's plans for a quinceanero-and as she begins to ask questions about her Cuban roots-cultures and feelings collide in this thought-provaking ang humorous novel.