Jennine Capó Crucet discusses Say Hello to My Little Friend—a bold, darkly comic, and emotionally resonant exploration of identity, ambition and the immigrant experience.
At the center of the novel is Ismael “Izzy” Reyes, a 20-year-old Cuban immigrant hustling in Miami by impersonating Pitbull—until a cease-and-desist order forces him to reinvent himself. Inspired by Tony Montana of Scarface, Izzy sets off on a surreal journey through grief, self-discovery and the pursuit of the American Dream, all while trying to unravel the mystery of his mother’s death and his fractured past.
Don’t miss this chance to hear from one of today’s most dynamic literary voices and delve into a story as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.
Jennine Capó Crucet is a novelist, essayist and screenwriter. A recipient of the 2025 Joyce Carol Oates Prize and a PEN/O. Henry Prize, she’s the author of four books: the novel Say Hello To My Little Friend, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Fiction and was a finalist for the Kirkus Prize for Fiction; the novel Make Your Home Among Strangers, which won the International Latino Book Award; the multiple award-winning story collection How to Leave Hialeah; and the essay collection My Time Among the Whites: Notes from an Unfinished Education, long-listed for the PEN/Open Book Award. A former Contributing Opinion Writer for The New York Times, her writing has appeared on PBS NewsHour, National Public Radio and in publications such as The Atlantic, Condé Nast Traveler and others. Born and raised in Miami to Cuban parents, she lives in North Carolina with her family.
Tara Dorabji is the author of Call Her Freedom, winner of the Books Like Us Grand Prize. A child of Parsi-Indian and German-Italian migrants, she is an award-winning filmmaker whose documentary series on human rights defenders in Kashmir screened at festivals across Asia and the U.S. Her writing appears in Al Jazeera, Chicago Quarterly, Huizache, and the anthologies Good Girls Marry Doctors and All the Women in My Family Sing. Tara speaks internationally on systems change, cultural strategy, radical resource redistribution and storytelling. She lives in Northern California with her family and rabbit.
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LOCATION:Main Library - Koret Auditorium CLASS:PUBLIC TRANSP:TRANSPARENT END:VEVENT BEGIN:VALARM TRIGGER:-PT1440M ACTION:DISPLAY DESCRIPTION:Event Reminder - Author: Jennine Capó Crucet in Conversation with Tara Dorabji END:VALARM END:VCALENDAR