Pushcart Prize winner Ana Menendez landed firmly in the literary landscape last year with the hardcover publication of In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd. Reviewers overwhelmingly agree that she is an important new voice in American fiction: hers is "a bright debut that points to even brighter accomplishments to come" (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times), a tour de force that is "poignant and varied, emotionally vivid and hauntingly melancholy" (San Francisco Chronicle), and "a Cuban odyssey that conjures up Eugene O'Neill-like drama" (Kirkus Reviews). In these linked tales about the Cuban-American experience and the immigrant experience in general, Ana Menendez has instantly established herself as a natural storyteller who "probes with steady humor and astute political insight the dreams versus the realities of her characters" (Elle). From the prizewinning title story -- a masterpiece of humor and heartbreak -- unfolds a series of family snapshots that illuminate the landscape of an exiled community rich in heritage, memory, and longing for the past. In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd is at once "tender and sharp-fanged" (L.A. Weekly) as Ana Menendez charts the territory from Havana to Coral Gables with unforgettable passion and explores whether any of us are capable, or even truly desirous, of outrunning our origins. "Achingly wise." -- Richard Eder, the New York Times Book Review "Menendez taps into [a] wellspring of broken promises and unfulfilled desires and gives us a ... peek at ... the Cuban-American experience." -- Ariel Gonzalez, The Miami Herald "Menendez offers a lilting narrative that sways soulfully between past and present, longing and regret, joy and tragedy." -- Donna Rifkind, The Baltimore Sun "Superb ... The community that emerges in these pages is one of humor, acute grief, and gifted storytelling." -- Fionn Meade, The Seattle Times "The first work of a young writer with a bright future." -- Jay Goldin, Fort Worth Morning Star-Telegram "A tender and occasionally sharp-fanged portrait of Miami's Cuban-exile community ... Brave and funny and true." -- Ben Ehrenreich, L.A. Weekly "A raucous, heartfelt debut...Deft, talented and hilarious...." -- Junot Diaz In Cuba I Was a German Shepherd By Ana Menendez Grove Press Copyright ©2001 Ana Menendez All right reserved. ISBN: 9780802138873 Chapter One The park where the four men gathered was small. Before thecity put it on its tourist maps, it was just a fenced rectangle ofspace that people missed on the way to their office jobs. Themen came each morning to sit under the shifting shade of abanyan tree, and sometimes the way the wind moved throughthe leaves reminded them of home.     One man carried a box of plastic dominos. His name wasMáximo, and because he was a small man his grandiose namehad inspired much amusement all his life. He liked to say thatover the years he'd learned a thing or two about the physics oflaughter and his friends took that to mean good humor couldmake a big man out of anyone. Now Máximo waited for theothers to sit before turning the dominos out on the table. Judgingthe men to be in good spirits, he cleared his throat and beganto tell the joke he had prepared for the day.     "So Bill Clinton dies in office and they freeze his body."     Antonio leaned back in his chair and let out a sigh. "Herewe go."     Máximo caught a roll of the eyes and almost grew annoyed.But he smiled. "It gets better."     He scraped the dominos in two wide circles across thetable, then continued.     "Okay, so they freeze his body and when we get the technologyto unfreeze him, he wakes up in the year 2105."     "Two thousand one hundred and five, eh?"     "Very good," Máximo said. "Anyway, he's curious aboutwhat's happened to the world all this time, so he goes up to aJewish fellow and he says, `So, how are things in the MiddleEast?' The guy replies, `Oh wonderful, wonderful, everythingis like heaven. Everybody gets along now.' This makes Clintonsmile, right?"     The men stopped shuffling and dragged their pieces acrossthe table and waited for Máximo to finish.     "Next he goes up to an Irishman and he says, `So howare things over there in Northern Ireland now?' The guy says,`Northern? It's one Ireland now and we all live in peace.'Clinton is extremely pleased at this point, right? So he doesthat biting thing with his lip."     Máximo stopped to demonstrate and Raúl and Carlosslapped their hands on the domino table and laughed. Máximopaused. Even Antonio had to smile. Máximo loved this momentwhen the men were warming to the joke and he still keptthe punch line close to himself like a secret.     "So, okay," Máximo continued, "Clinton goes up to aCuban fellow and says, `Compadre, how are things in Cubathese days?' The guy looks at Clinton and he says to the president,`Let me tell you, my friend, I can feel it in my bones.Any day now Castro's gonna fall.'"     Máximo tucked his head into his neck and smiled. Carlosslapped him