{"id":361676,"date":"2026-08-03T16:36:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:36:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361676\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T16:36:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T16:36:11","slug":"fine-im-a-terrible-person-a-conversation-about-family-food-and-heritage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/361676\/","title":{"rendered":"Fine, I\u2019m a Terrible Person: A Conversation About Family, Food and Heritage"},"content":{"rendered":"

By J. Adrian Betancourt, Host, The Miami Book Hub<\/p>\n

Every now and then, a guest joins me on The Miami Book Hub podcast and reminds me that the most specific stories are often the most universal.<\/p>\n

That was certainly true of my recent conversation with Lisa F. Rosenberg, author of the delightfully titled novel Fine, I\u2019m a Terrible Person. The title\u2014best delivered, Lisa explained, with \u201ca little bit of petulance\u201d\u2014comes from a phrase her mother repeated throughout her childhood. The book itself is a tender, funny mother-daughter story set between Northern and Southern California.<\/p>\n

Although the novel is fiction, Lisa acknowledged that it contains \u201cnuggets and kernels of truth,\u201d inspired by people she has known, loved and occasionally been infuriated by. At its center is the complicated terrain of family: mothers and daughters, marriages, in-laws, children and what Lisa called \u201cthe sandwich years\u201d of a woman\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

The story is also deeply rooted in Lisa\u2019s Sephardic Jewish heritage and the Rhodesli community descended from Jews of the Greek island of Rhodes. Her family spoke Ladino, a language derived from the Castilian Spanish carried across the diaspora after the expulsion of Jews from Spain. The novel preserves not only that language, but also the food, humor, resilience and contradictions of a community nearly erased by the Holocaust.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was lots of sadness and trauma, but also lots of humor,\u201d Lisa told me. \u201cThat\u2019s right where I live\u2014that essence of sad, funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mixture gives the novel much of its emotional power. Food plays an especially important role, carrying memory and identity from one generation to the next. Lisa recalled relatives who would begin baking the moment someone entered the house, working without recipes or measurements, guided entirely by memory.<\/p>\n

As a Cuban American, I found that deeply relatable. \u201cThere\u2019s something about food that\u2019s very powerful,\u201d I told her. \u201cMore than just about anything else, it ties you to culture and ties you to tradition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lisa\u2019s path to becoming a novelist was just as compelling. After a career in galleries and museums\u2014including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the Contemporary Jewish Museum\u2014she encountered a family story so funny, terrible and irresistible that she urged her playwright son to write it. He declined and finally told her, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you write it, Mom?\u201d So she did.<\/p>\n

At 60, Lisa enrolled in an MFA program at Dominican University, learned the craft of fiction, endured the vulnerability of critique circles and developed the manuscript over roughly three years. Her experience offers a powerful reminder that there is no expiration date on creativity.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve got a story, go for it,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s really room for everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her literary journey ultimately led her to Sibylline Press, an independent Northern California publisher focused on women over 50. Her discovery of the press came through a bookstore event she happened to see on Instagram\u2014proof, she noted, of the importance of showing up, attending readings and remaining open to unexpected opportunities\u2014a common refrain among the many authors I\u2019ve interviewed.<\/p>\n

Lisa also spoke warmly about her new home in Miami and the welcome she has received from Books & Books, the Miami Book Fair and our broader literary community. She described Miami\u2019s literary scene as vibrant, robust and refreshingly free of gatekeeping. That is precisely the spirit The Miami Book Hub seeks to celebrate.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Lisa F. Rosenberg, her novel, her heritage\u2014and even family recipes\u2014at LisaFRosenberg.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can find this and other episodes of The Miami Book Hub on YouTube and Spotify via my website: www.ThreeTreasuresPress.com<\/a>. Please like, subscribe and share with your friends and family, and, as always, keep reading, keep writing and stay curious, Miami!<\/p>\n

ABOUT US:<\/p>\n

For more Miami community news, look no further than Miami Community Newspapers. This Miami online group of newspapers covers a variety of topics about the local community and beyond. Miami\u2019s Community Newspapers offers daily news, online resources, podcasts and other multimedia content to keep readers informed. With topics ranging from local news to community events, Miami\u2019s Community Newspapers is the ideal source for staying up to date with the latest news and happenings in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This family-owned media company publishes more than a dozen neighborhood publications, magazines<\/a>, special sections on their websites, newsletters, as well as distributing them in print throughout Miami Dade County from Aventura<\/a>, Sunny Isles Beach<\/a>, Miami Beach<\/a>, Coral Gables<\/a>, Brickell, Coconut Grove, Pinecrest<\/a>, South Miami<\/a>, Kendall<\/a>, Palmetto Bay<\/a>, Cutler Bay<\/a> and Homestead. Each online publication and print editions provide comprehensive coverage of local news, events<\/a>, business updates, lifestyle features, and local initiatives within its respective community.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the newspaper has exclusive Miami community podcasts<\/a>, providing listeners with an in-depth look into Miami\u2019s culture. Whether you\u2019re looking for local Miami news, or podcasts, Miami\u2019s Community Newspapers has you covered. For more information, be sure to check out: https:\/\/communitynewspapers.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you have any questions, feel free to email Michael@communitynewspapers.com or Grant@communitynewspapers.com<\/p>\n

#thatscommunitynews<\/a> #communitynewspapers<\/a> #miamidade<\/a> #miamidadecounty<\/a> #thatscommunity<\/a> #miamicommunitynews<\/a> #coralgables<\/a> #palmettobay<\/a> #southmiami<\/a> #doral<\/a> #aventura<\/a> #pinecrest<\/a> #kendall<\/a> #broward<\/a> #biscaynebay<\/a><\/p>\n


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