Mambo Boy

A Novel Written by Ken Okuno

It’s November 1941, Crenshaw District Los Angeles. A young American of Japanese descent takes a wild ride through his predominantly African American neighborhood with stops in Rohwer ( an Arkansas ethnic camp), and a mythical Cuba of his and his girlfriend’s longing.

This is a story of conflict and beauty set to the groove of mambo, a Cuban invention of African rhythm. It's a story of rebellion that could have been.

It’s also a story of inner turmoil, an Asian man who feels abandoned by his heritage yet tied to it, and who wants desperately to be a Mambo Boy.