Dr. Jos S nchez-Boudy was born in Havana, Cuba and is professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. In exile, he has worked tirelessly to preserve the essences of Cuban culture and traditions and has published more than a hundred books and, among them, several volumes on Cuban anecdotes as well as dictionaries on Cuban slang, sayings and whit. Because of his extensive literary publications, he is considered one of the most important writers of the Cuban exile.

This is a book written to give an idea of the characteristics that define the Cuban people. In it Dr. S nchez-Boudy reflects on the values and singularities that make up what being Cuban is all about. This includes language, popular sayings, customs, history, landscape, architecture and many other factors that are used by the author to find the essence of "Cuban"- what identifies the people of this nation as well as what differentiates them...what makes them react and act in a particular way.