First published 2025
Desi Arnaz changed television forever, but most people only know him as Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy. Todd S. Purdum reveals the full story of this Cuban American innovator who lost everything in the 1933 Cuban revolution and rebuilt his life in Miami. Arnaz created his own band by age twenty and introduced the conga dance to American audiences. He then transformed television by filming I Love Lucy with multiple synchronized cameras before live studio audiences, creating the template that sitcoms still follow today. Purdum draws on unpublished materials and new interviews to show how Arnaz overcame prejudice about his accent and background to become a visionary entrepreneur. The biography traces his journey from Cuban aristocracy through his reinvention as a Latin music star to his innovations in television production that changed the industry permanently.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, business, american-history
Vibes: engaging, inspiring, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: immigrant-success-story, overcoming-adversity, rags-to-riches
Setting: Cuba, Miami, United States
Period: 1933 Cuban Revolution, 20th century, 1950s
368 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster
Content warnings: racism