By Dominique Collins Berta . dcollins@herald.com
About 70 people, most of them Cuban Americans, crowded into Books & Books in Coral Gables Sunday night to hear co-authors Robert Levine and Moisés Asís talk about Cuban Miami.
Their newly published book chronicles the history of Cuban Americans in Miami -- a city transformed since Fidel Castro seized power in Havana.
"This is a great story about an immigrant history that hasn't been heard,'' said Terrie García-Herrán, a Cuban American who has lived almost her entire life in Miami.
A Rutgers University Press project, the idea for the book was pitched to Levine by an editor with the publishing house.
Levine, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Miami, was a natural choice, especially after publication of his 1990 book Tropical Diaspora -- the story of the Jewish community in Cuba.
After accepting the deal, Levine invited Asís to help write the poignant story of fellow Cubans in Miami. Asís, a member of the Jewish community in Cuba, came to the United States on an educational exchange seven years ago.
``[Asís] offers an even more interesting viewpoint because he's a Cuban American recently arrived,'' Levine said.
At Sunday's book signing, Levine and Asís stood before the crowd -- a copy of their book between them.
Among excerpts Levine read was one inserted at the last minute dealing with the Elián González saga.
Levine and Asís cited the case as a reflection of division among Cubans.
``Elián's case engulfed Miami as the year 2000 opened,'' the book's brief passage says. ``The child custody impasse symbolized the anguish of decades of family divisions.''
Inevitably, the conversation turned to Elián. Listeners asked questions or commented on conditions in Cuba.
Copyright 2000 Miami Herald
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