Background
Mendoza was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Miami, Florida with his family in 1960.
(From confessional to brothel; from The Havana Country Clu...)
From confessional to brothel; from The Havana Country Club to Varadero Beach, we follow Tony de la Torre as he comes of age in Cuba during the Summer of 1954. His family is wealthy and he is raised by servants. Gonzalo, the chauffeur, has the tacit responsibility of teaching 13 year old Tony the facts of life. This is a lively, riotous and sexy novel that gives us glimpses into Cuba before Castro. A great read!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1592661025/?tag=2022091-20
(Imagine being unable to return to your homeland for thirt...)
Imagine being unable to return to your homeland for thirty-six years. What would you do if you finally got a chance to go back? In 1996, after travel restrictions between the United States and Cuba were relaxed, Cuban exile Tony Mendoza answered that question. Taking his cameras, notebooks, and an unquenchable curiosity, he returned for his first visit to Cuba since the summer of 1960, when he emigrated with his family at age eighteen. In this book he presents over eighty evocative photographs accompanied by a beautifully written text that mingles the voices of many Cubans with his own to offer a compelling portrait of a resilient people awaiting the inevitable passing of the socialist system that has failed them. His photographs and interviews bear striking witness to the hardships and inequalities that exist in this workers' "paradise," where the daily struggle to make ends meet on an average income of eight dollars a month has created a longing for change even in formerly ardent revolutionaries. At the same time, "Cuba-Going Back" is an eloquent record of a personal journey back in time and memory that will resonate with viewers and readers both within and beyond the Cuban American community. It belongs on the shelves of anyone who values excellent photography and well-crafted prose. Photographer-writer Tony Mendoza is the author of four books, including the highly acclaimed "Stories and Ernie: A Photographer's Memoir". He lives in Columbus, Ohio, where he teaches photography at Ohio State University.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0292752326/?tag=2022091-20
Mendoza was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Miami, Florida with his family in 1960.
He graduated from Yale with a Bachelor of Engineering and Harvard with a Master of Architecture, before becoming a full-time photographic artist in 1973.
Married to Maria del Carmen from Esperanza, Cuba, and they have two children Alex and Lydia. Mendoza taught in the photography department at the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio from 1988 until his retirement in 2013.
(From confessional to brothel; from The Havana Country Clu...)
(Imagine being unable to return to your homeland for thirt...)
(Imagine being unable to return to your homeland for thirt...)