A review by rcielocruz
Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet

5.0

This was a hard one for me. Cuban authors always are, but this one, very close to home in the MC's geography, generation, socioeconomic status (maybe a first?!!) and educational trajectory, was especially tough and therefore, in the end, emotional satisfying in a painful way. Growing up in Miami in the 70's and 80's (as opposed to the MC- 90's) meant el Mariel, Reagan's racist immigration policies and the AIDS crisis were more central to my experience. Pero Elian was the culmination of the 90's Balsero era and that impacted my family directly in ways I don't like to recall. So reading this, I felt like I was turning away in disgusted self-recognition and turning slightly back towards it with relieved resonance. Halfway through, I was revolted at the possibility of Lizet as this "native informant" exposing the other lower class ugly parts of my community for the dominant gaze, explaining us to the people who boxed us into the stereotypes of that era (and now? Idk, I think we've fallen out of vogue now that our political situation seems more nuanced to outsiders.) Being Cuban is a tender part of me. It is walking rupture, heartbreak, grief and loss (a "pathos" one Cuban mentor called it.) I don't like the idea of people who have no stake in the game visiting one of the most painful moments of our recent history. But I think #jenninecapocrucet reveals this wound and at the same time exposes the privilege of the outsiders casually glancing in. I cheered at the unleashing of Lizet's righteous and confused resentments, while also wanting to push all other readers away and yell, "this is private! Have some respect!" It pulled at aching sinew and tissue inside me in a way that I found simultaneously super satisfying and super uncomfortable. I also read it at the end of a 5 month period of intentional itinerancy, making many temporary homes among friends and family, not strangers... but the timing of it, 1 year post Ida --which set this all off-- made the theme of double exile, about never finding home, about being tribeless, between two worlds especially potent in this moment. More like this, please. #makeyourhomeamongstrangers #cubanauthors