I also spend so much time working on my books that I gravitate toward writing about subjects I’m passionate about, and Cuba has always played such an important role in my life that I love learning more about its history and my own heritage. While I love hearing from readers that they learned something new from my books, I really want to take my readers on a journey and give them a literary escape. Is educating readers about Cuba something you are aiming to do with your books? Your books deal with Cuban-American identity, history, culture, politics, passion, love, friendship and more. Even though I’d grown up on my family’s stories of Cuba, this story was a piece of their history I hadn’t heard before, and as a writer I was left with the question-if you had to leave the only home you’d ever known, what would you save for the day you could return? From that question and my desire to explore my Cuban heritage, Next Year in Havana was born. I was inspired by a story my father told me about a night before my family left Cuba in 1967 when everyone met in the backyard of my grandparents’ house and buried their valuables to safeguard them for when they could return. Plus, her favorite female authors to read. We spoke to this mom about how the book was inspired by her own background, her career, and more.
Actress Reese Witherspoon called it “a beautiful novel that’s full of forbidden passions, family secrets and a lot of courage and sacrifice,” and even named it a Reese’s Book Club x Hello Sunshine book pick.
Next Year in Havana, New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s latest book, about a Cuban-American woman who journeys to Havana to explore her family’s history, has garnered praise from critics around the world-including Hollywood.
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