May Meeting: I WAS NEVER THE FIRST LADY

For May we'll be reading I WAS NEVER THE FIRST LADY by Wendy Guerra, translated by Achy Obejas!

Nadia Guerra’s mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just ten years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that she’s an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasn’t quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia.

Leaving Cuba offers her the chance to find her long lost mother and her real father. But as she embarks on a journey east, Nadia soon begins to question everything she thought she knew and understood about her past.
As Nadia discovers more about her family, her fate becomes entwined with that of Celia Sanchez, an icon of the Cuban Revolution—a resistance fighter, ingenious spy, and the rumored lover of Fidel Castro. A tale of revolutionary ideals and promise, Celia’s story interweaves with Nadia’s search for meaning, and eventually reveals secrets Nadia could never have dreamed.

Please consider obtaining your copy from one of Madison's wonderful independent bookstores or from [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/p/books/i-was-never-the-first-lady-a-novel-wendy-guerra/280ad43068c1ad64?ean=9780062990761&digital=t)! There are also used copies available from several online retailers.