Download or read book A Boy from Cuba written by Peter H. Sust and published by Tate Pub & Enterprises Llc. This book was released on 2014-09-23 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When he was just a boy, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara moved into Peter H. Sust's small fishing village outside of Havana. Not long after, ten-year-old Peter was put on an airplane to the United States with his sister to escape Cuba after Castro's takeover. Once in America, the young Cuban immediately began working to become an American, learning the language, customs, and laws of his new home. From a trip across the south from Florida to California at only eleven years old to the memorable characters he met working odd jobs in Stockton, California, Peter found that America had everything a boy could hope for---endless opportunity for those who weren't afraid to work.

Download or read book Waiting For Snow In Havana written by Carlos Eire and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2012-12-11 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A childhood in a privileged household in 1950s Havana was joyous and cruel, like any other-but with certain differences. The neighbour's monkey was liable to escape and run across your roof. Surfing was conducted by driving cars across the breakwater. Lizards and firecrackers made frequent contact. Carlos Eire's childhood was a little different from most. His father was convinced he had been Louis XVI in a past life. At school, classmates with fathers in the Batista government were attended by chauffeurs and bodyguards. At a home crammed with artifacts and paintings, portraits of Jesus spoke to him in dreams and nightmares. Then, in January 1959, the world changes: Batista is suddenly gone, a cigar-smoking guerrilla has taken his place, and Christmas is cancelled. The echo of firing squads is everywhere. And, one by one, the author's schoolmates begin to disappear-spirited away to the United States. Carlos will end up there himself, without his parents, never to see his father again. Narrated with the urgency of a confession, WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA is both an ode to a paradise lost and an exorcism. More than that, it captures the terrible beauty of those times in our lives when we are certain we have died-and then are somehow, miraculously, reborn.

Download or read book Cuban Kids written by George Ancona and published by Cavendish Square Publishing. This book was released on 2000 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grade level: 4, 5, 6, e, i.

Download or read book A Boy from Cuba written by Peter H. Sust and published by . This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When he was just a boy, Fidel Castro and Che Guevara moved into Peter H. Sust's small fishing village outside of Havana. Not long after, ten-year-old Peter was put on an airplane to the United States with his sister to escape Cuba after Castro's takeover. Once in America, the young Cuban immediately began working to become an American, learning the language, customs, and laws of his new home. From a trip across the south from Florida to California at only eleven years old to the memorable characters he met working odd jobs in Stockton, California, Peter found that America had everything a boy could hope for-endless opportunity for those who weren't afraid to work.

Download or read book A Cuban Refugee s Journey to the American Dream written by Gerardo M. González and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2018-08-01 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A touching memoir recounting the journey of a young Cuban immigrant to the US who went on to become a professor and university dean. In February 1962, three years into Fidel Castro’s rule of their Cuban homeland, the González family—an auto mechanic, his wife, and two young children—landed in Miami with a few personal possessions and two bottles of Cuban rum. As his parents struggled to find work, eleven-year-old Gerardo struggled to fit in at school, where a teacher intimidated him and school authorities placed him on a vocational track. Inspired by a close friend, Gerardo decided to go to college. He not only graduated but, with hard work and determination, placed himself on a path through higher education that brought him to a deanship at the Indiana University School of Education. In this deeply moving memoir, González recounts his remarkable personal and professional journey. The memoir begins with Gerardo’s childhood in Cuba and recounts the family’s emigration to the United States and struggles to find work and assimilate, and González’s upward track through higher education. It demonstrates the transformative power that access to education can have on one person’s life. Gerardo’s journey came full circle when he returned to Cuba fifty years after he left, no longer the scared, disheartened refugee but rather proud, educated, and determined to speak out against those who wished to silence others. It includes treasured photographs and documents from González’s life in Cuba and the US. His is the story of one immigrant attaining the American Dream, told at a time when the fate of millions of refugees throughout the world, and Hispanics in the United States, especially his fellow Cubans, has never been more uncertain. “Author and educator Gerardo M. González brilliantly illustrates the joys and struggles of the refugee experience, and the inarguable role of education as an open door to opportunity. This is a delightful read, and one that will inspire you to achieve greatness regardless of the odds.” —Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College “There can be no more persuasive testimony to the power of intelligence, commitment, and inspiration than Gerardo M. González’s memoir. The contribution of immigrants to America’s prosperity and national achievements is undeniably impressive. Yet, this transformational story of challenge and achievement, while individually exceptional, is nonetheless emblematic of the experience of countless immigrants who have made America better than it could otherwise have been. No finer antidote to the simplistic sloganeering of the immigration debate exists.” —John V. Lombardi, President Emeritus, University of Florida, and author of How Universities Work

Download or read book This Is Cuba written by Ben Corbett and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2007-10-15 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beyond the throngs of tourists streaming through Central Havana's broad Prado Avenue, and outside the yoke of Castro's 43-year-old Revolutionary program, there exists a parallel Cuba - a separate evolution of a people struggling to survive. With personal stories that depict a people torn between following the directives of their government and finding a way to better their lot, journalist Ben Corbett gives us the daily life of many considered outlaws by Castro's regime. But are they outlaws or rather ingenious survivors of what many Cubans consider to be a forty-year mistake, a tangle of contradictions that has resulted in a strange hybrid of American-style capitalism and a homegrown black market economy. At a time when Cuba walks precariously on the ledge between socialism and capitalism, This Is Cuba gets to the heart of this so-called outlaw culture, taking readers into the living rooms, rooftops, parks, and city streets to hear stories of frustration, hope, and survival. Updated with a new preface.

Download or read book Waiting for Snow in Havana written by Carlos Eire and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2004-01-13 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A survivor of the Cuban Revolution recounts his pre-war childhood as the religiously devout son of a judge, and describes the conflict's violent and irrevocable impact on his friends, family, and native home.

Download or read book Child of the Revolution written by Luis M. Garcia and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2006-06 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cuba, a land of cigars, hot nights, sultry music and romantic revolutionary heroes. But what was it really like to live in Fidel Castro's tropical paradise? With an evocative wide-eyed innocence, Luis M. Garcia takes us back to his Cuban childhood and his parents' dreams of escape. Child of the Revolution is a story about growing up in an extraordinary place at an extraordinary time, as the superpowers prepared to go to war over nuclear missiles installed on the tiny Caribbean island. It's a story set in a world of uncertainty and revolutionary upheaval, where a 10-year-old swears allegiance to Lenin, Marx and the legendary Che Guevara under swaying palm trees, with no idea of what it all means, except this is the only way to become a better revolutionary' and get out of school early. It is also the story of brothers and sisters torn apart by politics and how a Cuban teenager and his family end up by sheer accident - on the other side of the world. Warm, generous and gently amusing, Child of the Revolution stirs the heart and brings music to the soul.

Download or read book Coming Up Cuban written by Sonia Manzano and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2022-08-02 with total page 293 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Pura Belpré Honoree and Emmy-award winning actor Sonia Manzano--best known as "Maria" from Sesame Street--comes the expansive and timeless story of four children who must carve out a path for themselves in the wake of Fidel Castro's rise to power. Fifteen-time Emmy Award winner and Pura Belpre honoree Sonia Manzano examines the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four children from very different walks of life. In the wake of a new regime in Cuba, Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan learn to find a place for themselves in a world forever changed. In a tumultuous moment of history, we see the lasting affects of a revolution in Havana, the countryside, Miami, and New York. Through these snapshot stories, we are reminded that regardless of any tumultuous times, we are all forever connected in our humanity.

Download or read book Cuba in My Pocket written by Adrianna Cuevas and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR). This book was released on 2021-09-21 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By the author of 2021 Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez, a sweeping, emotional middle grade historical novel about a twelve-year-old boy who leaves his family in Cuba to immigrate to the U.S. by himself, based on the author's family history. “I don’t remember. Tell me everything, Pepito. Tell me about Cuba.” When the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 solidifies Castro’s power in Cuba, twelve-year-old Cumba’s family makes the difficult decision to send him to Florida alone. Faced with the prospect of living in another country by himself, Cumba tries to remember the sound of his father’s clarinet, the smell of his mother’s lavender perfume. Life in the United States presents a whole new set of challenges. Lost in a sea of English speakers, Cumba has to navigate a new city, a new school, and new freedom all on his own. With each day, Cumba feels more confident in his new surroundings, but he continues to wonder: Will his family ever be whole again? Or will they remain just out of reach, ninety miles across the sea? A Kirkus Best Children's Book of the Year "...Cuevas’ latest is a triumph of the heart...A compassionate, emotionally astute portrait of a young Cuban in exile." —Kirkus, STARRED REVIEW "Cuevas’ intense and immersive account of a Cuban boy’s experience after the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion brings a specific point in history alive." —Booklist, STARRED REVIEW "Cuevas packs this sophomore novel with palpable emotions and themes of friendship, love, longing, and trauma, attentively conveying tumultuous historical events from the lens of one young refugee." — Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

Download or read book Telex from Cuba written by Rachel Kushner and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2008-07 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Coming of age in mid-1950s Cuba where the local sugar and nickel production are controlled by American interests, Everly Lederer and KC Stites observe the indulgences and betrayals of the adult world and are swept up by the political underground and the revolt led by Fidel and Raul Castro. 75,000 first printing.

Download or read book Boxing for Cuba written by Guillermo Vicente Vidal and published by Fulcrum Publishing. This book was released on 2017-09-18 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1961, fearing the communist rule of Fidel Castro, Guillermo Vicente Vidal's family sent him to America through Operation Peter Pan. He arrived in Colorado and was sent to an orphanage with his brothers, and his family reunited four years later. Fifty years later, he served as Denver's mayor. This is his story of overcoming incredible odds.

Download or read book Cuba Confidential written by Ann Louise Bardach and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2007-12-18 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From America’s number one Cuba reporter, PEN award–winning investigative journalist Ann Louise Bardach, comes the big book on Cuba we’ve all been waiting for. An incisive and spirited portrait of the twentieth century’s wiliest political survivor and his fiefdom, Cuba Confidential is the gripping story of the shattered families and warring personalities that lie at the heart of the forty-three-year standoff between Miami and Havana. Famous to many Americans for her cover stories and media appearances, Ann Louise Bardach has been covering Cuba for a decade. She’s talked to the crooks, spooks and politicians who have made history, and to their hired assassins and confidants. Based on exclusive interviews with Fidel Castro, his sister Juanita, his former brother-in-law Rafael Díaz-Balart, the family of Elián González, the friends and family of the legendary American fugitive Robert Vesco, the intrepid terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, and the inner circles of Jeb Bush and the late exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa, Cuba Confidential exposes the hardball take-no-prisoners tactics of the Cuban exile leadership, and its manipulation and exploitation by ten American presidents. Bardach homes in on Fidel Castro and his cronies, taking us closer than we’ve ever been—and on the militant exiles who have devoted their lives, with CIA connivance, to trying to eliminate him. From Calle Ocho to Juan Miguel González’s kitchen table in Cárdenas, from Guantánamo Bay to Union City to Washington, D.C., Ann Louise Bardach serves up an unforgettable portrait of Cuba and its exiles.

Download or read book The Boy Who Said No written by Patti Sheehy and published by Oceanview Publishing. This book was released on 2013-05-25 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As a boy Frank Mederos’ grandfather teaches him to fish, to navigate the seas, and to think for himself, much needed skills under the new Castro regime. When Frank is drafted into the army, he is soon promoted to the Special Forces, where he is privy to top military secrets. But young Frank has no sympathy for Fidel. He thirsts for freedom and longs to join his girlfriend who has left Cuba for America. Frank yearns to defect, but his timing couldn’t be worse. After two unsuccessful escape attempts, Frank learns that the departure of the next available boat conflicts with upcoming military exercises. If he stays, he will miss the boat. If he doesn’t, he will be the object of a massive manhunt. Problems abound: How will Frank escape the army base without being seen? Where will he hide until the boat comes? How can he outwit his commanding officer? And how can he elude hundreds of soldiers ordered to bring him back “dead or alive”? Frank’s true story, a tale of love, loss and courage that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page is turned.

Download or read book Cuban Cracker written by Carlo Driggs and published by . This book was released on 2020-08-21 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everyone loves a good Rock & Roll memoir, especially when that tale starts from humble beginnings and reaches unimaginable heights. When a compelling story bridges from one person's account into the lives of some of the biggest names in the business? It becomes Rock & Roll legend. Carlo Driggs had worked with some of the most iconic bands and artists in the history of rock, and his narrative is a fascinating glimpse into that world. He was the founding member of Chicago's rock legends and The Rolling Stones opening band KRACKER; his first success in the major leagues of rock and the first band signed to Rolling Stones Records label. In 1978 his band, Foxy, charted with the hit song, "Get Off," which Carlo co-wrote that went on to gold and platinum status. In 1983 he became Paul Revere and the Raiders' lead singer where he remained for over twenty-one years. Carlo shares with you his life story, from his early days in Cuba, his emigration to the United States, early mistakes, as well as his success that took him on a rocky forty-seven years on the road as one of the first Cuban American rock stars in United States history. A rags to riches, living the American Dream tale, with bumps along the way! Carlo opens up about the music business, his love life, how he put his first child up for adoption and their fairy-tale reunion, his disillusionment with the industry he loved, new ventures he had unfolding, all the way up until his untimely death just as his book was nearing completion. Carlo's life has something any fan of the world of Rock & Roll would love.

Download or read book The 10 000 Year Explosion written by Gregory Cochran and published by Stranger Journalism. This book was released on 2009 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Two leading researchers make the controversial argument that the human species is still measurably evolving in important ways--in fact, faster than ever before.

Download or read book Fleeing Castro written by Victor Andres Triay and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2016-12-15 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The first complete and comprehensive work on these important, unique programs. . . . An interesting, humane, yet tragic component of the post-1959 Cuban experience and the Cold War in general."--Antonio Benitez-Rojo, Amherst College "The ordeal began [for the children] when their parents told them they had to travel alone and that they had to keep the upcoming trip a secret. The most powerful parts of the book are their accounts. . . . Through interviews with many of the participants—the children and their parents, the coordinators of the airlift, those in the underground in Cuba and the Catholic sponsors in the United States—Triay attempts to answer many of the questions the exodus raised."--Miami Herald A stirring account of the covert effort to smuggle Cuban children into the United States in the aftermath of Fidel Castro's rise to power, Fleeing Castro brings to light the humanitarian program designed to care for the children once they arrived and the hardship and suffering endured by the families who took part in Operation Pedro Pan. From late 1960 until the October 1962 missile crisis, 14,048 unaccompanied Cuban children left their homeland, the small island suddenly at the center of the Cold War struggle. Their parents, unable to obtain visas to leave Cuba, believed a short separation would be preferable to subjecting their offspring to Castro's totalitarian Marxist state. For the children, the exodus began a prolonged and tragic ordeal--some didn’t see their parents again for years; a few never did. Until now, this chapter of the Cuban Revolution has been relatively obscure. Initially the result of an effort by James Baker, headmaster of an American school in Cuba who worked closely with the anti-Castro underground, Pedro Pan quickly came to involve the Catholic Church in Miami and, in particular, Father Bryan Walsh, who established the Cuban Children's Program, the nationwide organization that cared for those children without relatives or friends in the United States--almost half of them. The latter program, in effect until 1981, was the first to allot federal money to private agencies for child care, an action with far-reaching repercussions for U.S. social policy. Victor Andres Triay traces this story from its political and social origins in Cuba, setting it in the context of the Cold War and describing the roles of the organizations involved in Cuba and in the United States. Making use of extensive interviews with Baker, Walsh, and influential underground figures, as well as personal letters that document the fears and dreams of both the parents and the children, Triay presents this history of Pedro Pan--the largest child refugee movement ever in the Western Hemisphere--with the drama of an international thriller and the pathos of a heartbreaking family drama.