ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This novel began in 1994 at New Words Books in Boston, when Judith Wachs and some of her friends came up to me and asked, “Are you Jewish?” They had recognized in my surname ravages of an ancestry to which I had only vaguely paid attention. The next day, Judith invited me to her home and played me the music of the Sephardim. I will always be grateful to her for that special day.

Since then I’ve had the good fortune to have at my side during the journey to this book some pretty amazing people. My agent, Charlotte Sheedy, for whom I have the deepest love and respect, has been my steady copilot. In the last year, Leona Nevler at Ballantine Books has been a gracious guardian angel—all writers should feel this lucky with their editor.

I’m grateful to Howard Tyner, Geoff Brown, Tim McNulty, Tim Bannon, Kevin Moore, Linda Bergstrom, Jeff Lyon, Marcia Borucki, Margaret Patterson, Larry Kart, Itasca Wiggins, Mo Ryan, Monica Eng, Pat Kampert, Marsha Peters, Tom Heinz, and the Tempo copy desk at the Chicago Tribune. Without their indulgence and good humor, I would never have had the time and space to write this novel. I am most obliged to Gerry Kern, who has never, ever hesitated in his support and has made everything possible.

For his special guidance, thanks go to Moisés Asís. His wisdom and kindness were invaluable.

For assisting with research, I’m obliged to Natalia Bolívar, Maritza Corrales Compestany, Schulamith Halevy, Esther Pérez, Spertus Museum of Judaica (Chicago), Michael Terry, Rallis Wisenthal, and the good people on the anusim list-serve. My parents, José and Alicia, and my cousin, Tony Milera, were free with their memories and insights.

Particular appreciation goes to “Chichi” Fresneda and Juanito González.

In addition, I’m indebted to María Eugenia Alegría, Carlos Augusto Alfonso, Uva de Aragón, Jorge Luis Arcos, Tom Asch and Strong Coffee (Chicago), Ruth Behar, Lourdes Benigni and Casa de Las Américas (Havana), Deborah Bruguera, Linda Bubon and Anne Christophersen at Women & Children First Books (Chicago), Adriana Busot, Suzanne Cohan-Lange, Norberto Codina, Josefina de Diego, Gary Dretzka, Catherine Edelman, Argelia Fernández, David Forrer, Ambrosio Fórnet, Victor Fowler, María Josefa Gómez and Sonia Jiménez, Shannon Greene Robb, Ron Grossman, Charles Halevi, Instituto Cervantes (Chicago), Maria Kostas, Jenny Magnus and Beau O’Reilly at the Lunar Cabaret (Chicago), Mal and Sandra at the Broadway/Montrose Currency Exchange (Chicago), Félix and María Masud, Chris Mazza, Louis Mendez, Ana E. Obejas, Ofra Obejas, Maria Carmen Ovejas (“Manem”), Patricia Peláez, Don Rattner and Nirmala Daiya, Albita Rodríguez and Miriam Wong, Francisco López “Sacha” and the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Havana), Lucía Sardiñas, Lawrence Schimel, Brendan and Brenda Shiller, Helen Shiller, Paul Sierra, Gini Sorrentini, Art and Pauline Tarvardian, Elizabeth Taylor, Kaarin Tisue, Nena Torres and Matt Piers, James Warren, Teresa Wiltz, Owen Youngman, and my students over the years at the University of Chicago, DePaul University, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Columbia College.

And, of course, mil gracias, mil besos to Tania Bruguera.