Cuba on My Mind

Catalina is remembering her teenage years in Batista’s Cuba, on the verge of Castro’s revolution. Her grandson, Wayne Olaf, listens to her stories while undergoing his own minor revolution against his parents, especially his mother, Catalina’s daughter. Together, Wayne and Catalina traverse fields of time to come to new insights.



Catalina Van Nuys is the narrator of Cuba on My Mind. Because of failing health, Katherine, Catalina’s daughter, brings her to New Orleans where her grandson, Wayne Olaf, decides to tape his grandmother’s story. The weaving of the past and present and the grandmother-grandson relationship as he records the memories of a carefree girl bouncing between two cultures while in the midst of his personal crisis, creates the rich, final tapestry.

“Katie Wainwright’s prose is intelligent, passionate and sensitive. Cuba on My Mind gives a much needed authentic voice to that country’s culture and the author’s personal connections to it. It’s a great read.”
—Tim Gautreaux