Tour: una vuelta por la cultura popular de Miami

by Pedro Medina León

Tour ofrece una panorámica de los principales elementos históricos, culturales y populares que han dado forma a la ciudad de Miami. Pedro Medina León, máximo representante del Noir Tropical en español, esta vez, desde el ensayo y la crónica breve, nos cuenta cómo Henry Flagler abrió las puertas de Miami al resto del país, que la decadencia de la legendaria banda de rock The Doors comenzó en Coconut Grove, que Opa Locka, ciudad inspirada en Las mil y una noches, fue concebida como uno de los proyectos urbanos más ambiciosos y hoy es uno de los lugares más pobres de Estados Unidos, que Bob Marley murió en una cama de hospital del Downtown y que Cassius Clay se coronó campeón de boxeo, ante el mundo, en Miami Beach. Y entre estos personajes tan fascinantes como controversiales, conoceremos los distintos rostros de una ciudad que ha sido un pequeño pueblo agrícola y de pescadores en su nacimiento, la capital mundial del crimen y el narcotráfico en los años ochenta, hasta llegar a ser hoy un refugio de Latinoamérica.

290 pages, Paperback

Published August 29, 2018

Reviews

[Gina Salvatore · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bubble gum book that purports to be about Miami history, but is told through short and disparate anecdotes. A quick, fun, easy read- the author makes no connection between the stories and how they were actually impactful on shaping the city’s culture. I’d recommend this book to a tourist.

What’s impressive, and wasn’t part of the books description, is the author’s encyclopedic knowledge of Noir genre literature written about the city- which may be the thread tying it to why each story matters- but as it’s never directly stated that’s an assumption the reader has to make for him or herself. I wasn’t sure at times whether I was reading a history of Miami or a history of detective books about Miami, and was left unsure as to why the latter mattered. An example of this is the chapter titled What Burt Reynolds Didn’t Understand, which starts out as a factual account of the Mariel Boatlift, then abruptly shifts to a description of the novel “Stick” by Ernest Stickley Jr, and ends with a review of Burt Reynolds’s performance in the movie adaptation. Burt wasn’t the only one who didn’t understand- I didn’t really get it either.

There were a few exceptions to this- the chapter about the bohemian who conceptualized Woodstock from the back room of his head shop in Coconut Grove touches on how the inhabitants were impactful and then that influence bled out into the creation of one of the greatest cultural moments of the 60’s.

I guess my point, and it’s the general problem with teaching or passing down history, is that if there isn’t a connection made to the present then it becomes just another story with no relevance except to possibly amuse. The author failed to make that connection.

I’ve added “Continental Drift” to my reading list this year thanks to this book though. I was compelled by the chapter where Russel Banks is interviewed and discusses the novel’s relevance.

[Daniel Reschigna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Por fin un libro necesario para conocer una ciudad como nadie se la imagina. saluD Pedro!

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty disappointing read unfortunately- cover looked cool, and I was down with the concept, but like the other reviewer said, this feels like a VERY superficial look at Miami and at times diminutive. The book shines here and there and I learned a bit more about this city I love. But ultimately the oversimplification of the city along with an incomplete feel kind of killed it for me.

Also, not phenomenal writing which would be fine if the content was engaging but otherwise not so much.