Book Review: Thoughts Without Cigarettes

My criteria for agreeing to review a book is that it must have a life lesson that I can pass along to the Silver & Grace Community. I am hard pressed to come up with that lesson from Oscar Hijuelos’s Thoughts Without Cigarettes. So, we will just set that aside, and I’ll simply talk about the story.

Thoughts Without Cigarettes is a memoir presented in a very interesting fashion. Most memoirs take full advantage of literary licence and fill in blanks stating them as facts. The reader then takes the story with a grain of salt, simply by virtue of the fact that it is a memoir.

Hijuelos, however, is very honest about guessing at the blanks in his memory based on what would have made sense at the time. Some people might find this disconcerting, or unnecessary, but I actually appreciated it.

It also lent a dream like quality to the prose. Think black and white movie leaning towards sepia tones. Add to the fact that I have no idea who Oscar Hijuelos is and yes, I would have to say it is a beautiful piece of cinematography.

A ‘film’ about a young Cuban boy raised in New York who falls deathly ill at a very young age and is institutionalized for a year. Unthinkable now to separate a child from his family for that length of time, but we are talking over fifty years ago.

A ‘film’ about a young Cuban boy who loses his language and culture because of this separation.

A ‘film’ of a man returning to his roots.

No discernable life lesson, but a beautifully scripted memoir nonetheless.

Thoughts Without Cigarettes is available on Amazon .

This book review is sponsored by TLC Book Tours.

Silver & Grace Women love to share!

In what way have you moved away from your culture or family? If you then returned, what prompted you to come back? Tell us in the comment section below.

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