Award-winning writer John Sayles's critically acclaimed novel explores fifty years of Cuban-American relations. Set in Miami in 1981, Los Gusanos is the vivid and moving account of one extended family's life in Cuba and the United States. With pathos and understanding, Sayles introduces us to a memorable range of characters—young, old, black, and white—all of whom are struggling to make a new life in their adopted country while haunted by the memories of Cuba. Taking as its title the derogatory term Castro used to describe those who fled to Miami after he came to power, Los Gusanos is beautifully rendered; a deterministic study of who will be the casualty and who the survivor in a time of political upheaval.

If the U.S. were to boast one great independent film director, he would be John Sayles, a cult figure among his admirers. Nominated for both an Academy Award for scriptwriting and a National Book Award, Sayles has written screenplays, teleplays, short stories, and novels and has worked as a script doctor for a virtual who's who of Hollywood film and television talent.