The associate professor of English’s first novel explores family secrets and her Cuban heritage.
Associate Professor of English Tita Ramírez published her debut novel, “Tell It to Me Singing,” this summer — a compelling story set in Miami that delves into family secrets, identity and the Cuban American experience.
In the novel, Ramírez introduces readers to Mónica, a young Cuban American woman expecting her first child, and her mother, Mirta — a strong-willed woman harboring deep secrets. The story unfolds as Mirta, facing emergency heart surgery, reveals a life-altering truth to Mónica: the man who raised her is not her biological father. Instead, her real father is Juan, a dissident from Mirta’s past in Cuba who worked to undermine Fidel Castro’s regime.
Ramírez will read from “Tell It To Me Singing” on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m., in the McBride Gathering Space in the Numen Lumen Pavilion. The event is free and open to the public.
Ramírez drew inspiration from her own life in crafting the story’s arc.
“When I was in my early twenties, my mother confessed to me that, before she met my father, she had been married to another man,” she said. “It made me wonder: what if Mónica’s mom reveals something similar but more devastating?”
Ramírez spent more than a decade researching and writing the novel.
“All that research, and so much of the writing of this book, took place in fits and starts because I began this project just as I was starting my family,” Ramírez said. “Like most writer parents, I wrote when and where I could — at the playground, in the early morning darkness at the kitchen table, in marathon weekend writing sessions at a local hotel.”
Published by Simon & Schuster, her work has garnered widespread praise for its emotional depth and humor. Kirkus described it as “a rich portrait” that “bursts with humor,” while the Atlanta Journal-Constitution called it a “riveting … heartfelt, frequently humorous, and historically germane exploration of how one family uses truth and love to heal from generational pain.”
Ramírez hopes readers connect with its characters and appreciate its themes of familial relationships and the impact of cultural heritage on personal identity.
“I’m thrilled that readers will finally get to meet Mónica, Mirta, and all the people I’ve been living with all these years — like Robert, Mónica’s devoted fiancé who drives racecars and raises iguanas, and Rolando, her sweet father,” she said. “I love them all so much. Now that I’ve finished the book, I miss them. I even miss the made-up characters in ‘Abismo de Pasión,’ the telenovela that Mónica and Mirta watch every Friday night.”