Dirty blonde and half Cuban Book

This book was highly recommended to me by a friend from book club, and fellow Goodreader. I was excited to start it, because when someone feels so passionate about a book, I'm always intrigued and want to read for myself what the fuss is about.
This book took hold of me from the very beginning. The descriptions were right up my alley. The metaphors and similes, long and descriptive, were perfect. The story itself was also intriguing, A 13 yr old whose mother dies of cancer...my story exactly. Only, with a twist. The man she always called "Dad" is not her real father. And her mother's dying wish is that she get to know her real father, in Cuba. I did not expect the extended stay in Cuba where Alysia, now grown, searches for her father. But the inside peek at the life of a jinetera is amazing.
Jinteras are not prostitutes. Not in the traditional sense, and through the story, I could sympathize with the jineteras and the choice they make to live in that world. I can't imagine choosing that life over one here in the U.S., but I suppose it would always depend on the situation.
There is a love story, of course, and it somewhat subdues the reality of jineterismo. In context, the lifestyle is not offensive or frightening. It is simply a way of life. And one can understand the need for it and the "pride" Wixon says the jinteras feel for helping their families in the only way possible.
I think that being Cuban-American myself, I saw this story differently than maybe someone else would. I can't imagine the people in Cuba who choose to live there. I see the faces of the men, women, children, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters who leave Cuba, risking everything, even their lives, in order to find freedom. I then find it difficult to believe that someone would choose to stay in Cuba and live a life as a jinetera rather than come to the U.S. and try to make a life. But of course, each person has their own choices to make and their own list of "pros and cons," just as Alysia had in the novel. And sometimes the best choice for one person, would not be the best choice for another.
I have already recommended the book to several other people. It is a must read. And despite the heavy subject matter, it is more light-hearted, fun and happier than one might expect.