More than half a century after we first watched Andy and Opie walking to the fishin' hole, "The Andy Griffith Show" remains one of the most popular sitcoms in the history of American TV. Why does a sitcom from the 1960s that's set in the rural South still evoke such devotion in so many people and in so many areas today?
In A Cuban in Mayberry, acclaimed author Gustavo Perez Firmat revisits "our hometown" to discover the source of its enduring appeal. He approaches the show from a unique perspective that of an exile who has never experienced the rootedness that Andy and his fellow Mayberrians take for granted.
As Perez Firmat weaves his personal recollections of exile from Cuba with an analysis of the show, he makes a convincing case that the intimacy between person and place depicted in TAGS is the secret of its lasting relevance, even as he reveals the surprising ways in which the series also reflects the racial, generational, and political turbulence of the 1960s.
This 194-page book, the first book about "The Andy Griffith Show" in over 12 years, is the most scholarly book about the show to date. It's sure to be fascinating reading for the many devoted fans of the show, and is certain to expand any fan's knowledge of and appreciation for "The Andy Griffith Show" and what Mayberry means to all of us.
And along the way, we might even learn some things about ourselves, too.
