Newest Exonians bond around story of becoming

Blanco describes a youth caught between two worlds, Cuban and American, exemplified by the chorizos and tamales his abuela cooked for the family and the cans of Easy Cheese he secured on his twice-weekly forays to Winn Dixie for whole-chicken fryers. He would balance the birds on the handlebars of his bike and carefully pedal home because his grandmother refused to set foot in a domain she deemed strictly for los americanos.

The culinary collision of those worlds one night at the dinner table — Kraft mac and cheese mixed with chorizo and bijol in a concoction his grandmother named “Cubaroni” — underscored to Blanco the cultural limbo in which he lived. “The mix of flavors didn’t make sense to me,” he writes. “You had to be either Cuban or American; you couldn’t be both, I thought.”

It is Blanco’s struggle to find his place and discover who he is that drew Caldwell to The Prince of los Cocuyos.

“He is curious and thoughtful; he is funny; he seeks knowledge of the outside world; he learns to assume a greater sense of social responsibility as the narrative progresses. One of the reasons I chose The Prince of los Cocuyos is that I believe the story, the voice, and the perspective of the narrator will prompt students to examine their own personal experiences and to consider how they might enter and support a diverse community.”

Caldwell said all of the Academy’s dorm heads and a few proctors are also reading the text to prepare for conversations in the dormitory. Health instructors intend to use the text for an exercise on identity development. English teachers may use the text for examples of some of the personal writing skills taught during prep year. Most notably, the author himself will be on campus to discuss his book, his writing and his experiences in early September. 

“The very act of reading requires the reader to participate in the creation of that tale with the author,” Caldwell wrote to the incoming students. “The reader must imagine stories and characters into existence. As a result, the reader gains insight into places, characters, and narratives that might feel familiar or unfamiliar, common or unheard.”