Contemporary Authors

• Dubultnieki un citi stāsti ( short stories) Zvaigzne (Riga, Latvia), 2011
• The Cat King of Havana Katherine Tegen Books (New York, NY), 2016

1. The Cat King of Havana LCCN 2016931710 Type of material Book Personal name Kreicbergs, Toms, 1985- author. Main title The Cat King of Havana / Tom Crosshill. Edition First edition. Published/Produced New York : Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016] ©2016 Projected pub date 1609 Description 354 pages ; 21 cm ISBN 9780062422835 (hardcover) 0062422839 (hardcover) CALL NUMBER Not available Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms 2. Dubultnieki un citi stāsti LCCN 2012499318 Type of material Book Personal name Kreicbergs, Toms, 1985- Uniform title Short stories. Latvian Main title Dubultnieki un citi stāsti / Toms Kreicbergs. Published/Produced Riga : Zvaigzne, [2011] Description 172 pages ; 21 cm ISBN 9789934023453 9934023458 CALL NUMBER PG9049.21.R44 D83 2011 Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms

• LOC Authorities -

  LC control no.: no2016147291

  Descriptive conventions:
  rda

  LC classification: PG9049.21.R44

  Personal name heading:
  Crosshill, Tom, 1985-

  See also: Real identity: Kreicbergs, Toms, 1985-

  Associated place: Oregon New York (State)

  Located: Latvia

  Birth date: 1985

  Place of birth: Riga (Latvia)

  Field of activity: Short stories Science fiction Finance

  Affiliation: Reed College (Portland, Or.)

  Profession or occupation:
  Authors Business consultants

  Found in: The Cat King of Havana, 2016: title page (Tom Crosshill)
  Dubultnieki un citi stāsti, 2011: t.p. (Toms Kreicbergs)
  back cover (a.k.a. Tom Crosshill; b. 1985)
  tomcrosshill.com, accessed 15 May 2016: (Tom Crosshill's
  fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award (thrice)
  as well as the Latvian Annual Literature Award. His
  stories have appeared in venues such as Clarkesworld,
  Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Lightspeed. In 2009, he won
  the Writers of the Future contest. After some years
  spent in Oregon and New York, he currently lives in his
  native Latvia. Tom's young adult novel The Cat King of
  Havana is forthcoming from Katherine Tegen Books
  (HarperCollins) in 2016. Tom grew up in Riga, Latvia ...
  He traveled to the U.S. to study physics at Reed
  College) http://www.tomcrosshill.com
  triviums.lv, accessed 15 May 2016: (Toms Kreicbergs.
  Presentation, business negotiations and financial market
  consultant and science fiction author. He got his B.A.
  in Physics at Reed College (USA). Toms has devoted much
  of his time to individual studies of English
  conversation and business negotiations with the world
  famous specialist Sam Chwat. Toms is one of the founders
  of the CosaBuena Dance School and under the pseudonym
  Tom Crosshill, writes science fiction.)

  Associated language:
  eng lav

  ================================================================================

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
  Library of Congress
  101 Independence Ave., SE
  Washington, DC 20540

  Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov

  LC control no.: n 2013020026

  Descriptive conventions:
  rda

  LC classification: PG9049.21.R44

  Personal name heading:
  Kreicbergs, Toms, 1985-

  See also: Alternate identity: Crosshill, Tom, 1985-

  Associated place: Oregon New York (State)

  Located: Latvia

  Birth date: 1985

  Place of birth: Riga (Latvia)

  Field of activity: Short stories Science fiction Finance

  Affiliation: Reed College (Portland, Or.)

  Profession or occupation:
  Authors Business consultants

  Found in: Dubultnieki un citi stāsti, 2011: t.p. (Toms Kreicbergs)
  back cover (a.k.a. Tom Crosshill; b. 1985)
  Nebula Awards showcase 2016, 2016: contents (Tom Crossbill)
  tomcrosshill.com, accessed 15 May 2016: (Tom Crosshill's
  fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award (thrice)
  as well as the Latvian Annual Literature Award. His
  stories have appeared in venues such as Clarkesworld,
  Beneath Ceaseless Skies and Lightspeed. In 2009, he won
  the Writers of the Future contest. After some years
  spent in Oregon and New York, he currently lives in his
  native Latvia. Tom's young adult novel The Cat King of
  Havana is forthcoming from Katherine Tegen Books
  (HarperCollins) in 2016. Tom grew up in Riga, Latvia ...
  He traveled to the U.S. to study physics at Reed
  College)
  uiowa.edu/writers, accessed 15 May 2016: (Tom Crosshill,
  2013 resident, is the author of the short story
  collection Dubultnieki un citi stāsti (2011). His
  fiction has won the Writers of the Future contest.)
  triviums.lv, accessed 15 May 2016: (Toms Kreicbergs.
  Presentation, business negotiations and financial market
  consultant and science fiction author. He got his B.A.
  in Physics at Reed College (USA). Toms has devoted much
  of his time to individual studies of English
  conversation and business negotiations with the world
  famous specialist Sam Chwat. Toms is one of the founders
  of the CosaBuena Dance School and under the pseudonym
  Tom Crosshill, writes science fiction.)
  His business website, viewed November 1, 2016: About Thomas
  Crosshill (In the 2000s, Tom worked as a commodities
  structurer for large investment banks UBS and Scotia
  Capital on Wall Street; he has acted as a consultant and
  trainer to executives at major companies in the Baltics
  and elsewhere; he is also an accomplished fiction
  writer) https://www.thomascrosshill.com

  Associated language:
  eng lav

  ================================================================================

  LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AUTHORITIES
  Library of Congress
  101 Independence Ave., SE
  Washington, DC 20540

  Questions? Contact: ils@loc.gov

• Fantastic Fiction -

  Novels
  The Cat King of Havana (2016)
  The Cattle Express (2016)
  thumbthumb

  Collections
  Fragmentation (2016)

• Tom Crosshill Home Page - http://www.tomcrosshill.com/

  Tom Crosshill grew up in Riga, Latvia. As a child he subsisted on a diet of Heinlein, McCaffrey and Tolkien. Having verified that every science fiction book published in his own language would fit on a single bookshelf, he had no alternative but to learn English at an early age.

  Tom made his first writing friends at the Del Rey Online Writing Workshop in the late nineties. He traveled to the U.S. to study physics at Reed College and decided to stick around for a few years after graduation. While living in New York he joined the wonderful writers’ group Altered Fluid.

  Today Tom lives wherever his adventures take him. In the past decade, he has operated a nuclear reactor, toiled on Wall Street, directed a play, worked inside a zinc mine and spent a year in Cuba studying folkloric dance.

  Since winning the Writers of the Future Contest in 2009, Tom has sold stories to such magazines as Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and Lightspeed. Three of his stories — “Mama, We Are Zhenya, Your Son”, “Fragmentation, or Ten Thousand Goodbyes” and “The Magician and Laplace’s Demon” — have been nominated for the Nebula Award. His work has also been nominated for the Latvian Annual Literature Award and the WSFA Small Press Award. In 2016, he won the European Science Fiction Society Award for Best Author.

  While at the University of Iowa’s prestigious International Writing Program, Tom wrote the young adult novel “The Cat King of Havana”. The novel tells the story of Rick Gutierrez — a Cuban-American teenager who goes to Havana to explore his family’s roots, learn salsa and romance the girl of his dreams. The book was published by Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins) in September 2016.

  Tom’s literary novel “The Cattle Express”, a tale of Wall Street and Siberia, became a #1 best-seller in Latvia. It is now is available in English.

  Tom’s YA fiction is represented by Ammi-Joan Paquette of the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

• International Writing Program, University of Iowa Web site - https://iwp.uiowa.edu/writers/tom-crosshill

  2013 Resident
  Northern Europe
  Latvia
  Europe
  Latvian

  Tom CROSSHILL (fiction writer; Latvia) is the author of the short story collection Dubultnieki un citi stāsti (2011). His fiction has won the Writers of the Future contest, and was twice shortlisted for the Nebula Award, given out by the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America. His work has been featured in Finnish, Cuban, Chinese, Polish, English, and Latvian publications. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

• Amazon -

  Tom Crosshill's fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award (thrice), the Latvian Literature Award, and the WSFA Small Press Award. He is a winner of the ESFS Award for Best Author. He is the author of the YA novel "The Cat King of Havana" (Katherine Tegen Books) and the literary novel "The Cattle Express" (Shirtsleeve Press). His works are available in ten languages. After many years spent in Oregon and New York, he currently lives in his native Latvia. He's a satellite member of the writers' group Altered Fluid. In the past, he has operated a nuclear reactor, translated books and worked in a zinc mine, among other things.

• Whatever - http://whatever.scalzi.com/2016/09/08/the-big-idea-tom-crosshill/

  QUOTED: "In my book, without condemnation or moralizing, I tried to model a different path to male adulthood. The Cat King of Havana is a story of salsa, lolcats and revolution. It’s also the story of a boy struggling to become a fully-realized, decent young man. Nothing about Rick’s transformation is easy. Going against societal expectations and limiting self-beliefs is never easy. But if I’ve done my job well, my readers will believe it can be done."

  The Big Idea: Tom Crosshill
  September 8, 2016 John Scalzi4 Comments

  Speaking as a nerd who took two years of dance in high school, this Big Idea piece by Tom Crosshill, about his novel, The Cat King of Havana, speaks to me. Read on to find out why.

  TOM CROSSHILL:

  My YA novel The Cat King of Havana is a tale of salsa, lolcats, and revolution. There’s the Cuban secret police, there’s dangerous dancing, there are kittens with jetpacks. But the Big Idea that propelled the book had nothing to do with any of that. Here it is:

  Geeks don’t have to be klutzes.

  If only I had believed that as a kid.

  In junior high, I read five SF books a week, spent my afternoons playing video games, and worked on a novel about a tribe of dwarf magicians who arrived through a portal in Stonehenge to address the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan. I was also a total klutz who sucked at every sport, didn’t know how to talk to people, and got bullied.

  I bet that last sentence doesn’t surprise you. It certainly didn’t surprise me.

  Society and mainstream media told me repeatedly that geeks were klutzes with no social skills. Geek-friendly media as well as well-meaning adults confirmed that geeks were klutzes with no social skills — and it was okay, because we were each a unique individual with incredible potential, and one day we might change the world. But almost no one seemed to question one key assumption — that geeks had to be klutzy and awkward.

  I have friends who started out as nerdy, bullied kids and became not just accomplished runners, roller derby stars and parkour masters but also well-socialized doctors and lawyers — and even schmoozing politicians. Talking to these friends, though, I hear the same story a lot. How they had to fight against incredible opposition — from others’ stereotypes as well as their own self-beliefs — to achieve personal transformation.

  I’m not saying all geeks need to get athletic or fire up their social skills. I support a broad spectrum of geeky life choices — whatever makes you happy. I wasn’t happy as a kid, though, and not just because of the (reprehensible) bullying.

  I didn’t like sucking at sports. I didn’t like not knowing how to dress well or how to make friends.

  I simply didn’t believe I could change.

  Developing that belief took years, the encouragement of good friends, and many small, frustrating steps. With The Cat King of Havana, I wanted to help someone develop this belief a little faster.

  I knew that preaching — well-meant advice to “just exercise”, “just go out there and meet people”, etc — wouldn’t work. Instead, I set out to portray one kid’s fumbling journey to change as frankly and honestly as I could.

  Rick Gutierrez, the Cuban-American teenage protagonist of Cat King, is an SF-quoting, comics-reading cat video tycoon. His site http://www.catotrope.com gets 30% of all non-YouTube cat video traffic. Known as “The Last Catbender” online—and as “That Cat Guy” at school—Rick isn’t cool and he knows it.

  When his girlfriend dumps Rick on his sixteenth birthday because she doesn’t want to stay indoors with him all day, he decides she has a point. He no longer wants to live the geek loner stereotype. He wants to be cool.

  That’s a tall order for anyone.

  In writing Rick’s journey, I kept three points front and center:

  1) Change is hard.

  Having resolved to try new things, Rick becomes obsessed with salsa dancing. And he really, really sucks. The kind of suck where you trip on your own feet. The kind of suck where girls look panicked when you invite them to dance. For months, he hardly gets any better.

  How do you keep going in a situation like that? Everyone’s answer will be different. To me, the important thing was acknowledging that change can be painfully hard, and that it is still worth it.

  2) Those around you will resist you.

  Rick’s classmates make fun of his new interest. They mock him and post derogatory Facebook comments. If anything, the bullying he faces intensifies.

  The people around him have their own idea of who Rick is, and they won’t let it go. It takes a lot for Rick to believe in himself in the face of that.

  Well, in fact, he doesn’t always. But he manages to keep going.

  3) You will screw up.

  Physical klutziness isn’t a geeky boy’s only challenge. Rick also falls for a new girl. Ana Cabrera, smart as well as cute, is one hell of a dancer. And she’s not that into him.

  Rick invites Ana to spend a summer with his family in Havana, claiming he just wants to be friends. Under the influence of his cousin Yosvany — a successful ladies’ man ready with a hundred Pick Up Artist tricks — Rick tries every ploy in the book to “get the girl”.

  Ana’s tough and smart, and will have none of it. In the process, Rick realizes he’s becoming a dick. He has to deal with the consequences — and figure out what kind of man he wants to be.

  I know from personal experience that this kind of growing up can be exquisitely painful (certainly this is not a problem limited just to us geeks). For a boy with limited social skills, figuring out how to form genuine and respectful romantic relationships can be far harder than getting in shape or learning to dance.

  Mortifying mistakes are easy to make. These can quickly lead to frustration and self-protective anger. As we can see with the disturbing rise of Gamergaters, MRAs, self-styled “incels” and other men-in-denial, from there it’s just a few steps to objectification and outright misogyny.

  In my book, without condemnation or moralizing, I tried to model a different path to male adulthood.

  The Cat King of Havana is a story of salsa, lolcats and revolution. It’s also the story of a boy struggling to become a fully-realized, decent young man.

  Nothing about Rick’s transformation is easy. Going against societal expectations and limiting self-beliefs is never easy. But if I’ve done my job well, my readers will believe it can be done.

• Flash Fiction - http://flashfictiononline.com/main/article/interview-man-behind-cat-king-havana-tom-crosshill/

  QUOTED: "I wrote the book at a time when I wished I could go back to Cuba but couldn’t afford to—and I was burning to share my excitement about salsa dancing with the world.
  Also, I had a lot to say about the experience of growing up as a nerdy teen — about getting a handle on physical and social skills which many of us SF geeks take far too long to develop. I’m hoping I might encourage some teens to get going on this stuff earlier than I did."
  "As I put in the book, if you expect CAT KING to tell you that Geeks Are Good and Everyone’s a Special Flower and You Shouldn’t Let Other People Tell You How to Live Your Life, you’ve been watching too many indie films with quirky teenage protagonists."

  INTERVIEW WITH THE MAN BEHIND THE CAT KING OF HAVANA, TOM CROSSHILL!
  by Jason S. Ridler

  Tom Crosshill Cat King coverTom Crosshill is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in Flash Fiction Online, Clarkesworld, and other fine establishments. His novel, THE CAT KING OF HAVANA, is a YA story set in Cuba published by HarperCollins.

  How does an award-winning Latvian author of science fiction and fantasy end up writing a novel that deals with internet media moguls, lolcats, and SALSA in Cuba . . . for the YA market? Or, WHY HAVE YOU ABANDONED GENRE FICTION for a novel that sounds like way more fun?

  One of the things that I really love about genre fiction is the sense of surprise and discovery — reading about places I’d love to go, people I’d like to meet, awesome skills I wish I could attain. When you look at it like that, THE CAT KING OF HAVANA isn’t really that big of a departure. I wrote the book at a time when I wished I could go back to Cuba but couldn’t afford to — and I was burning to share my excitement about salsa dancing with the world.

  Also, I had a lot to say about the experience of growing up as a nerdy teen — about getting a handle on physical and social skills which many of us SF geeks take far too long to develop. I’m hoping I might encourage some teens to get going on this stuff earlier than I did.

  As I put in the book, if you expect CAT KING to tell you that Geeks Are Good and Everyone’s a Special Flower and You Shouldn’t Let Other People Tell You How to Live Your Life, you’ve been watching too many indie films with quirky teenage protagonists.

  (Also, I do have a track record in animal-themed fiction — take my FFO piece TO FLY A PIG IN THE DORSENY SKY!)

  That still sounds like far more realism than science fiction . . . until we have a geeky guy learning salsa and living in Cuba! Why would someone raised on the shores of the Baltic Sea be captivated by Cuba’s sexiest export? Why did you become their first Baltic import?

  A lot of assumptions there! Among others, I certainly wasn’t Cuba’s first Baltic import — in fact, there are a number of Latvians who have lived on the island far longer than I did (and some who have had children which have, in turn, emigrated to Latvia). But it’s probably true that I’m the first salsa-obsessed Latvian to spend such a long time in Cuba. . .

  My first trip to Cuba was actually for a yachting trip — I couldn’t dance a single step of anything. A chance meeting with a woman married to a Latvian led to my first salsa classes — and from that there was no turning back! There are some passions in life which develop over time, and others that you simply discover intact and full-blown, like they’ve been under the surface all along.

  And perhaps dance was indeed under the surface. . . critique group friends have pointed out to me that a lot of my stories had a dance theme even before I consciously became interested in the topic. If only I’d known!

  Actually, that’s one thing I’d like to accomplish with CAT KING — encourage people who might have this subsurface love of dance to go ahead and try it out.

  We start with assumptions (and hyperbole) then get to the nitty grity! Let’s talk about the subsurface. Why would salsa be lurking under your skin? I ask because, as a fellow Balt, our people are often represented in history and culture as dour, hard working, and reserved, in part from being victims of the Soviet occupation and its powerful aftermath. But! Is this another cultural assumption that needs challenging, or was the subsurface desire for a beautiful, vibrant, and sensual art form all your own? If so, why salsa and not Tango, like the Finns seem to love?

  Perhaps it’s that old attraction-of-opposites thing. Many of my life decisions have seemed unlikely at the time. I decided to major in physics in college even though that was my weakest subject in high school. I decided to look for a job on Wall Street when I grew tired of life as a hirsute physics senior. And I decided to learn salsa even though I was a barely-coordinated, stiff as a log Baltic geek. . . I guess I enjoy a good challenge! Although of course by now it is much more than that.

  Re. tango vs. salsa — the answer is probably that salsa is what I happened across first. I have yet to try tango so I don’t know how I would like to dance it — certainly I enjoy watching it. But I’ll have you know salsa too is big in Finland!

  Ha! The benefit of questions is getting answers you didn’t expect! As a writer, you’ve carved a successful track record in SF&F short stories. How did writing a non-fantastical-genre novel challenge you, and were you tempted to make the cats psychic or aliens or Cuba is really a spaceship? Also, will there be a sequel?

  CAT KING was actually my second non-SF novel in a row, so I was used to it! When I was writing THE CATTLE EXPRESS — an adult literary novel of a Latvian on Wall Street, and his grandmother’s struggles in Siberian exile, now coming out from a major publisher in Latvia — I was a bit tempted to make Stalin a secret vampire or something of the sort. By the time I got to CAT KING the temptation had faded.

  CAT KING still allowed my geek side to express itself, though — the protagonist is a cat video entrepreneur, after all, and there is a lot of cat video meta-analysis in the book. . .

  Making Stalin a vampire is the call of all Baltic writers, so good on you for resisting the urge! Is the CATTLE EXPRESS due for North American release as well, as it sounds terrific?

  Also, you’ve clearly betrayed all genre fiction by writing material inspired by geek culture but with no elements of fantasy. Why are you such a Judas? More seriously, your books sound way more fun than most of what’s coming out by the major genre outlets. Did you “level” up out of the genre ghetto, or is that material just under the surface still percolating in non-genre yet inspired by genre (geeky stuff) culture?

  I’m definitely shopping THE CATTLE EXPRESS around, and actually, there’s a Latvian government grant that could help the right well-positioned small press publish it pretty much risk-free. I don’t know much about the adult literary space, though, so I haven’t actually been able to show the manuscript to as many people as I’d like. I’m working on it.

  Personally I’m not big on the genre/non-genre divide. I love all kinds of books, and I enjoy writing about all sorts of topics. I’m still writing occasional SF short stories, and my next novel may well be genre again. But I’m definitely not a purist. For me the story comes first — if a great concept comes to me, I don’t care what genre it is in.

  I know this genre-hopping might hurt me commercially, but then, I’m not really in this for the money (although I certainly won’t turn money away!)

  Hey, grab all the scratch you can, and do it your own way (the systems rigged, anyway!). Second last question: what’s next for Tom Crosshill the cross-genre writer and is there another wild left-turn bubbling under the surface for us to watch?

  Very last question: when are you writing more flash fiction???

  I’m working on a couple of short stories and a fantasy novel concept. . . I prefer not to discuss my works-in-progress too much, though, as it saps my creativity. I find these days that my number one priority is doing work I enjoy and not worrying too much about publishing pressures or practical concerns.

  With flash, the difficulty for me is that a flash story can take as long to conceive and design as a novelette! Generally I’ll write a flash when a story comes to me fully formed in a. . . what do you call it. . . ah, yes, in a flash of inspiration. And those flashes are kind of hard to anticipate. . .

  THE CAT KING OF HAVANA by Tom Crosshill is available at Amazon. Or visit THE CAT KING OF HAVANA's website -- complete with cat videos, salsa dancing, and more! Finally, if you just want more of Tom, head over to his author website.

• Cat King of Havana Web site - http://www.catotrope.com/

  Tom Crosshill is an award-winning author, public speaker, and salsa teacher.

  Originally from Latvia, Tom moved to the US as a teen and now lives wherever his adventures take him. A black belt in aikido, he has operated a nuclear reactor, worked on Wall Street, and toiled in a Japanese zinc mine, among other things.

  On a chance trip to Havana, Tom fell in love with salsa. After years of study with the world’s top dancers and several long stays in Cuba, he wrote “The Cat King of Havana”.

  Tom’s fiction has been nominated for the Nebula Award (thrice), the Latvian Literature Award and the WSFA Small Press Award. He has won the ESFS Award for Best Author and the Writers of the Future Award. In 2013, he was a resident at the world-famous International Writing Program at the University of Iowa — where he started “The Cat King of Havana”. To find out more about Tom’s fiction — and to read some of his short stories — visit his website.

QUOTED: "Crosshill's personal experience as a dancing student makes Rick's transformation quite believable."
"All hail the Cat King, a strong new voice in contemporary storytelling."

Crosshill, Tom. The Cat King of Havana
Jessica Atherton
39.4 (Oct. 2016): p58.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 E L Kurdyla Publishing LLC
http://www.voya.com

5Q * 4P * J * S (a)

Crosshill, Tom. The Cat King of Havana. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins, 2016. 368p. $17.99. 978-0-06-242283-5.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Geeky loner Rick Gutierrez makes a resolution to experience adventures instead of reading about them. He takes salsa classes and meets Ana Cabrera, beautiful, talented, and totally not interested in being more than friends. When Anas drunk father returns home, she feels desperate to escape. Rick suggests a trip to Cuba, where he can connect with his mother's roots and Ana can expand her dancing education. Surprisingly, they convince everyone that this is a great idea. While in Cuba, Rick has a lot on his plate. As he tries to romance Ana, learn salsa, and get to know his family, he finds that adventure is a lot more complicated than he realized.

Crosshill's personal experience as a dancing student makes Rick's transformation quite believable. Rick's side business of running a cat video aggregator site initially appears as a strangely dated plot device but becomes a skillfully integrated means for injecting reflection, humor, and, eventually, a crucial plot element. Crosshill shows the difficulties and dangers of life behind the bloqueo, as well as the vibrant culture within the country. The book begins as a standard romance, then grows to include much more. Rick develops as a character and, in a refreshing change of pace, does not end up with Ana. Instead, his personal development and an actual adventure create a much more satisfying ending to the story. All hail the Cat King, a strong new voice in contemporary storytelling.--Jessica Atherton.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Atherton, Jessica. "Crosshill, Tom. The Cat King of Havana." Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct. 2016, p. 58. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA467831079&it=r&asid=295c81dbcc6c92895a0cbdb09fdbce73. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.

QUOTED: "Despite an improbable ending worthy of a viral video itself, Crosshill's big-hearted novel shines."

Gale Document Number: GALE|A467831079
The Cat King of Havana
263.26 (June 27, 2016): p85.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/

The Cat King of Havana

Tom Crosshill. HarperCollins/Tegen, $17.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-06-242283-5

Cat video entrepreneur Rick Gutierrez seeks change after his girlfriend dumps him on his 16th birthday. Rick joins a salsa band and meets dancer and filmmaker Ana, who is dealing with complicated family problems. Eager to spend more time with Ana and to explore his deceased mother's Cuban heritage, Rick invites Ana for a summer of salsa lessons in Havana. Living with his aunt and two cousins, Rick and Ana learn that communism is not as equitable as Aunt Juanita believes. When cousin Yolanda asks the two to help a kidnapped blogger, they are threatened, endangering themselves and Rick's family, even as Rick attempts to search for his mother's first love and uncover the truth behind her defection during the 1980 Mariel boatlift. Breaking the fourth wall, Rick speaks directly and engagingly to readers, infusing Crosshill's first YA novel with wry, self-effacing humor. The breezy pace and descriptions of Cuban culture soften the serious issues at hand--supply shortages, imprisonment, and secret police. Despite an improbable ending worthy of a viral video itself, Crosshill's big-hearted novel shines. Ages 13--up. Agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. (Sept.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"The Cat King of Havana." Publishers Weekly, 27 June 2016, p. 85. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA456900988&it=r&asid=5981b1657359307c349826ae94a02760. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A456900988

Atherton, Jessica. "Crosshill, Tom. The Cat King of Havana." Voice of Youth Advocates, Oct. 2016, p. 58. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA467831079&asid=295c81dbcc6c92895a0cbdb09fdbce73. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017. "The Cat King of Havana." Publishers Weekly, 27 June 2016, p. 85. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA456900988&asid=5981b1657359307c349826ae94a02760. Accessed 24 Feb. 2017.

• Epic Reads
  http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-cat-king-of-havana-as-told-through-cat-gifs/
  Word count: 366

  The Cat King Of Havana as Told Through Cat GIFs
  Fun Stuff, What We're Reading
  09/12/2016 10:26AM | Posted by: TeamHarperTeen
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  The Cat King Of Havana as Told Through Cat GIFs

  We think it’s safe to say that cat lovers and booknerds make the perfect combination. THE CAT KING OF HAVANA, a quirky new novel from Tom Crosshill, proves that cat-nerds everywhere are destined to be the next big thing. On top of bringing these two communities together for a match made in heaven, this book has all the salsa dancing and love you could ever want. Things are about to get hot and heavy up in Cuba with The Cat King of Havana, and we are so excited to break down this masterpiece for you with some of our favorite cat GIFs!

  So Rick, also known as “That Cat Guy” spends all his free time on the world wide web searching for cat gifs, kinda like this one:

  His girlfriend breaks up with him, claiming they are not purrrfect for each other and his hobbies are a waste of time. So he feels kind of like this:

  The Cat King Of Havana

  Then Rick decides he needs a new hobby and finds that salsa dancing really cheers him up! So he’s like:

  But plot twist, he’s really taking dance classes to get closer to a girl named Ana

  Luckily for Rick, they take a trip to Cuba for more salsa dancing. He’s so excited like:

  Rick is hoping that Cuban sun + salsa = love

  But suddenly it’s not all fun in the sun when Rick discovers why his mother left Cuba decades ago

  Things quickly turn to “it’s complicated” when Ana meets Rick’s Cuban cousin and is like:

  Are Rick and Ana destined for a love that lasts forever, or will Rick end up heartbroken?

  Find out when you read THE CAT KING OF HAVANA by Tom Crosshill!

• Little Red's Reviews
  http://littleredsreviews.blogspot.com/2016/09/arc-review-cat-king-of-havana-by-tom.html
  Word count: 871

  QUOTED: "The Cat King of Havana mixes a taboo culture, cat videos, and a love-struck teen in an unforgettable novel that will have leave you questioning your morals."

  ARC Review: The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill
  Summary: Rick Gutierrez is . . . the Cat King of Havana! A cat-video tycoon turned salsa-dancer extraordinaire, he’ll take Cuba by storm, romance the girl of his dreams, and ignite a lolcat revolution!

  At least that’s the plan.

  It all starts when his girlfriend dumps Rick on his sixteenth birthday for uploading cat videos from his bedroom when he should be out experiencing the real world. Known as “That Cat Guy” at school, Rick isn’t cool and he knows it. He realizes it’s time for a change.

  Rick decides joining a salsa class is the answer . . . because of a girl, of course. Ana Cabrera is smart, friendly, and smooth on the dance floor. Rick might be half-Cuban, but he dances like a drunk hippo. Desperate to impress Ana, he invites her to spend the summer in Havana. The official reason: learning to dance. The hidden agenda: romance under the palm trees.

  Except Cuba isn’t all sun, salsa, and music. There’s a darker side to the island. As Rick and Ana meet his family and investigate the reason why his mother left Cuba decades ago, they learn that politics isn’t just something that happens to other people. And when they find romance, it’s got sharp edges (Via Goodreads.com)

  Pages: 368

  Release Date: September 6th, 2016

  Rating: 4/5 Stars

  Review:

  Aside from the fact that the main character ran a successful website full of cat videos, I had no idea what The Cat King of Havana was about. I was a part of The Cat King of Havana Blog Tour, so I was given an eARC to read and review. If you would like to read my post for the blog tour you can read it here. It touches on a number of deep topics, such as heritage and international relations. In the United States, Cuba seems like such a taboo place because of our rocky relations. It was not only refreshing to visit a different country, it was refreshing to visit a country that I know so little about. The setting of Cuba was both the same and different from New York. The Cuba described in The Cat King of Havana may have seen more poverty and government issues than other countries that are explored in YA novels, but it had so many similarities to our home countries.

  I loved Crosshill's voice in The Cat King of Havana. It is hard to say writing style instead of voice because I felt as though I was being read The Cat King of Havana. His style and tone perfectly fits the personality and thoughts of any teenager. I found myself constantly laughing at off-handed comments he would say. Not only was his writing extremely hysterical, it was also relatable. As a sixteen year old I am the same age as the main characters and a majority of the time I felt as though I was narrating the story. Crosshill completely embodied the struggles and tribulations faced by every single teenager.

  While I loved Crosshill's writing, the story dragged on at points. Due to the lengthy period of time the story takes place, it was hard to see the end of the story. In the middle of The Cat King of Havana, I began to suffer a reading slump because all I wanted to read was Sarah J. Maas' Empire of Storms. I would have probably enjoyed the novel more if I had not been anxiously awaiting news on the arrival of my copy of Empire of Storms, which has still not arrived. The pace of The Cat King of Havana was great and I became attached to the characters; however, I was still left with a few questions. The book shifted in a different direction about halfway through and it was a territory in which I was not comfortable approaching. It had nothing to do with sexual assault or anything, it dealt with the government and I had myself questioning how realistic it was.

  The Cat King of Havana was a quick and refreshing read that I really enjoyed. The writing and characters were excellent and I found myself relating to both aspects throughout the course of the story. More than likely, I will never visit Cuba so this journey was a great taste of the country, its people, and their culture. I may never walk down the streets of Cuba; however, I felt as though I was walking down the streets of Cuba along side Rick and Ana. I am interested to see what Tom Crosshill writes in the future, his writing is rather addicting. The Cat King of Havana mixes a taboo culture, cat videos, and a love-struck teen in an unforgettable novel that will have leave you questioning your morals. How far are you willing to go to seek justice?

• Story Sanctuary
  http://thestorysanctuary.com/review-cat-king-havana-tom-crosshill/
  Word count: 994

  QUOTED: "Dance fans and fans of stories with overseas settings should definitely give this one a read."

  Review: The Cat King of Havana by Tom Crosshill
  By Kasey Giard | September 7, 2016 | Book Review and Content, Contemporary, Young Adult/Teen Fiction
  cat-king-of-havanaThe Cat King of Havana
  Tom Crosshill
  Katherine Tegen Books
  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

  Tired of his geeky reputation as “that cat guy” for his successful Lolcat site, Rick decides it’s time to get out from behind the computer and live a little. After meeting a beautiful girl who dances a mean salsa, Rick decides to take dance lessons. The lessons don’t go as smoothly as Rick had hoped. In fact, he’s terrible. But that doesn’t stop him from dancing or from pursuing Ana. When an opportunity comes for him to make a trip to Havana to reconnect with his heritage and learn about his mom, Rick leaps at the chance and brings Ana along with him. But Cuba isn’t all beaches and fun. The longer they stay, the more Rick and Ana witness the struggle of the people under strict government rules. When Rick dares to defy the Cuban government to help a friend, he learns that some sacrifices come with costs to more than himself, and sometimes the price of principles proves too high to pay.

  Rick is a true underdog. If you’re looking for the traditional Dirty Dancing type story where the inexperienced dancer suddenly blossoms into an expert just as the romance swells to crescendo, be warned: this isn’t that kind of story. In fact, it’s better. I loved that Rick struggled and worked to gain any competency at dance. It felt real, and a lot of times added moments of humor and insight. I like that his relationship with Ana doesn’t follow a simple romantic path. It made for another fresh element to The Cat King of Havana.

  The parts of the story set in Havana definitely made me want to travel, but more than that, they made me think about the Cuban people. I felt like Rick’s journey brought me along with him from tourist to something more in a way that few stories have done for me before.

  I found it interesting that instead of taking the usual rebel-slash-principles-mean-everything approach, Crosshill explores a slightly different angle. When Rick breaks rules, he realizes that it’s not only himself, but his family who would bear the consequences. He might be able to hop on a flight to New York with a clear conscience, but he’d be leaving his aunt and cousins behind to pay a high price for his actions. He wrestles long and hard over what to do. I really appreciated that about him. In fact, the one moment of the story that really irritated me is when Ana tells Rick that he’s not a nice guy. And the truth is, he does make some choices that he later reflects on as being bad decisions, but at his core, Rick really is a good guy who cares about the people around him very deeply. I loved that about him. I think he needed to be that way in order for me to truly understand and respect the decisions he made to protect his family.

  Overall, I enjoyed The Cat King of Havana quite a bit. Dance fans and fans of stories with overseas settings should definitely give this one a read. In some ways it reminded me a little bit of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, though this story is cleaner and doesn’t dive quite as far into politics as Oscar Wao does.

  find-amazonCultural Elements
  Rick’s mother was Cuban and his father is German. Rick returns to Cuba to reconnect with his mom’s family. With him goes Ana Cabrera, a Puerto Rican girl and Rick’s salsa dance partner. Rick’s best friend is gay, but his experience doesn’t play a large role in the story.

  Profanity/Crude Language Content
  Most of the swearing and crude language is in Spanish. There are only a few curses in English. The Spanish profanity occurs with moderate frequency.

  Romance/Sexual Content
  Rick’s cousin Yosvany has loads of suggestions on how to get Rick a girl. Most of his advice is in Spanish, and Rick warns against looking up a translation because it’s usually pretty dirty. Yosvany believes in saying whatever’s necessary to get a girl into his bed. Rick experiments with a few of Yosvany’s more romantic suggestions, but ultimately finds lying is not to his taste.

  Rick has sex with a girl—no details of the event itself other than that it didn’t last long. He describes losing his virginity as feeling a weight lifted that he didn’t realize he was carrying. He’s definitely felt a lot of pressure to achieve that goal, and he’s not entirely happy about how it all happened, in part because of his own behavior.

  Rick witnesses another couple kissing and feels uncomfortable about it.

  Spiritual Content
  None.

  Violent Content
  Rick watches a video taken by a witness to a girl’s kidnapping.

  Drug Content
  Beer and cocktails are served at some of the clubs Rick visits. He and his friends drink alcohol at places that don’t ask for ID.

  Ana’s father is an alcoholic. Her parents separated for a time, but now her mom has let her dad move back in, and Ana worries about what he will do. When one of Rick and Ana’s dance teachers shows up for class drunk, she becomes furious and refuses to dance for him anymore.

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