Eugene Weekly Winter Reading Guide 2004-5
From the Eugene Weekly, Dec 9-15
Freewheelin'
The Handsomest Man in Cuba: an escapade, nonfiction travel memoir by Lynette Chiang. Small Wheel Press, 2004. Paperback, $14.95. First published in Australia and New Zealand by Bantam Press, 2003.
Cuba conjures images of cruiser cars, cigars and a populace yearning for a better life. Lynette Chiang finds these things as she bikes around the island nation, but she also discovers that living in survival mode — whether by choice or by necessity — is a bracing way to peel back the numbing layers of complacency.
The Handsomest Man in Cuba is equal parts self-reflection, adventure and travelogue. The author, a self-described "small Australian with a Chino face," is used to some cultural schizophrenia from "having been born yellow in a white country." Feeling like an outsider propels her to seek answers through adventures, and she works her way deep into a culture that few people in the U. S. know. Chiang's resourcefulness and buoyant spirit make her adventures fun to read. Her willingness to describe her self-doubts and bouts of loneliness make the book even more compelling.
Being a lone woman on a bike — a folding bike, no less, a Eugene-made Bike Friday — and toting gear for a three-months' stay, Chiang is seen as a curiosity. Cubans are eager to help foreigners, in part to gain access to dollars to supplant their meager lifestyle. Chiang usually stays at the homes of friends she makes along the way, even though this could cost her hosts a huge fine from the government, which tries to keep tourists and their dough funneled into a straight and narrow path. But people share their rationed food and often give her the best (or only) bed in the house. Many of her hosts refuse money, saying, "friendship is better."
Chiang's quest for getting past the guide-book view gets her into some tight spots, but the stories are upbeat and full of surprises. If you're thinking of going to Cuba, this book will help you understand your destination and make the most of it. If you're not likely to go to Cuba, The Handsomest Man will set you thinking about the power of prosperity to tie you down. It will take you on a ride with someone whose curiosity about the world inspires her to choose a different path.