(One night at) La Paloma: Based on Actual Events (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798545629251)

Set in the steamy tropics in 1937, five over-the-top personalities converge at Miami's La Paloma Club on one fateful night. When the Ku Klux Klan raids the nightclub, Jean, the alluring, astute trans woman and Tony, the attractive, cold-blooded gangster along with Betsy, his headstrong, socialite girlfriend fight desperately to flee the venue. Melvyn, the sought-after Jamaican dancer and his moneyed boyfriend Jimmy, lead overblown lives away from the bar, but during the raid they are compelled to fight the hateful mob to survive. La Paloma, a place specifically catering to LGBTQ patrons, is a popular hot spot where customers see women stripping on stage, as well as drag queens, known at the time as female impersonators, amongst the clientele. The KKK is resolute in cleaning up Miami's assorted perversions, and this proves especially true with La Paloma, the aberrant bar symbolizing the near-total collapse of the area's moral fabric. Demanding reenforcement of proper standards for the community, the Klan storms into the nightspot wreaking havoc. Unpredictable life events throughout the story transform each character, leading up to the consequence of their presence at La Paloma on the night of the raid. Based on actual events and set against the backdrop of a booming city seeking its own identity, is a tale of love, adventure, and validation, as well as the strife for a unique place in the world. This is the story of Miami's La Paloma.