An Evening with José Sotolongo
Discussing his Second Novel, The Optimistic Cuban
Friday, October 17, 2025
6:00 PM 7:00 PM
Blue Heron Books
High Falls, NY
Sotolongo’s novel, The Optimistic Cuban, is an intimate account of a young man’s coming of age in the aftermath of revolution and political upheaval. Fernando, a middle-class student in 1959 Havana, joins efforts to overthrow the corrupt Batista regime, finding early hope in Castro’s victory—only to question the new government’s oppression and broken promises. From the city’s streets to the family’s dinner table, Sotolongo investigates the limits of social and personal change against the backdrop of a nation searching for justice. Through Fernando’s divided loyalties and his relationships with Julia and Gustavo, the novel chronicles not only the tensions of political allegiance, but also the shared burdens and fragile hopes of Cubans across lines of race and class.
José Sotolongo was born in Cuba. He has been writing since age ten, and got his first rejection at age eleven from Reader’s Digest. More recently, his fiction has appeared in Third Coast, Litro, The Southampton Review, Miracle Monocle, and many other literary magazines, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net. The Optimistic Cuban is his second novel, and he has two other novels forthcoming in 2026. He lives in Accord with his husband and their American cobberdog, Ollie.
"Through a set of complex lives, The Optimistic Cuban offers a refreshingly layered perspective of the Cuban Revolution and its immediate aftermath. Sotolongo's vivid prose carries you back to a defining moment in the island's history, challenging preconceived notions and illuminating the struggles and shared humanity of its characters. A must-read, engrossing novel that will stay with you like a moving memory." — Dariel Suarez, author of The Playwright's House
"Sotolongo turns the tragic story of Cuba's struggle—and inability—to find democracy into a family tale that encapsulates the horror and pain of dictatorships, whether they are from the right or from the left. Focusing on the Leal family, he brings in characters from all socio-economic levels to show how the personal is inextricably bound to the political. This is an enlightening and engaging read not only for those from the Cuban diaspora but for anyone interested in international events." — Cecilia M. Fernandez, International Latino Book Award winner
"In a city torn by revolution, his heart is caught between love, loyalty, and the price of freedom. Sotolongo's novel paints 1959 Havana with complex brushstrokes, letting readers feel both the hope and heartbreak of its people." — Advance description via NetGalley