Alysia Vilar is the daughter of a privileged, Washington D.C.-based diplomat family. When she's 13, her mother dies, but not before confessing that her daughter's real father is not the man who raised her.
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Her real father, it turns out, is a Cuban translator named Jose Antonio. When Alysia is old enough, she dashes off to Havana to find him. Through a series of misfortunes, including having all her money stolen and her exit visa denied, Alysia has no other choice but to join the "jineteras", the educated and beautiful Cuban women who sell themselves to sex tourists from Europe and North America.
Alysia spends a year surrounded by the fascinating culture and music and dance in Havana. She's taken in by the charismatic Camila, a female heart surgeon who shows Alysia how to be a woman and a tutors her in "jineterismo." In the end, the search for her father reveals an unimaginable surprise.
The review of this Book prepared by Brenda
