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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not historically accurate!,
This review is from: 90 Miles to Havana (Hardcover)
Yes, this is an engaging adventure story, but being well-acquainted first hand with the Cuban Children's Program and Operation Pedro Pan, I was extremely disappointed when I read 90 Miles to Havana. While it is marketed as a historical fiction, there is very little accurate historical information regarding the care of the children once they arrived in the U.S. Flores-Galbis' portrayal of the Kendall camp is completely inaccurate, from the pool in which the siblings are supposedly submerged upon their arrival (there was no pool there) to most markedly the depiction of the camp having no adult supervision. Children were not made to sleep on bathroom floors and teenage bullies were not the ones to make decisions regarding social activities outside the camps, nor were they the ones to decide the placement of children outside of Miami. This book is an affront to the hard work and dedication of the Catholic Welfare Bureau, its director, Monsignor Bryan Walsh, the social workers, religious sisters, priests, and employees who labored long and hard hours to make sure the unaccompanied Cuban children in their care were safe and secure. While not every story was a happy one, this book does not do justice to the truth as it relates to the organized effort made to safeguard the minors who were sent to the U.S. by their loving and heartbroken parents, to prevent their indoctrination, incarceration, or worse, by the Marxist-Leninist Castro regime. This is a story with very little real relevance to the actual historical events involving the care of the children and I would caution librarians, teachers and parents to research the topic carefully instead of relying on this book to provide a true picture of the Program. Fiction, but not historical.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spunky kids, a tragic event and a thrilling tale of triumph,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: 90 Miles to Havana (Hardcover)
I was thoroughly engaged by the characters and the story in 90 Miles to Havana. This is a coming of age story of a young boy and a special group of Cuban children who had to re-invent themselves in a hurry when circumstances pushed them across a bridge between two very different worlds. The author manages to entertain as he gives a personal account of a painful historical time that is either not well-known or misunderstood: the exile of over 14,000 unaccompanied minors at the beginning of Castro's dictatorship in Cuba. I particularly liked how Flores-Galbis manages to convey how the main character is quickly transformed from child to man by forces from within and outside, but without allowing his childhood to be completely taken away from him. This author is an excellent portrait artist in real life and his supporting characters are as finely fleshed out as his paintings. I particularly appreciated the clever girls who were also caring, brave and important in their own right. This is a story that can be enjoyed by young readers as well as by adults who might be inspired to remember the events that made us grow up.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nostalgic Eye Opener,
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: 90 Miles to Havana (Hardcover)
I am a Cuban exile who has lived in Miami for many years. I was lucky enough to be able to come to the States with my mother at the age of nine and three younger siblings, after my father left via a clandestine route because he opposed the revolution. Looking back, I can only imagine the harrowing ordeal my mother went through hoping she would not be stopped before we were all able to get away safely. Nonetheless, at the time I felt we were living an adventure and I personally felt totally protected at my young mother's side. After all these years I thought no one could tell me anything I did not know about the Cuban revolution...
Reading Enrique's novel on this the 50th anniversary of Pedro Pan brought a knot to my throat when I saw an example of what many children who were not so lucky as I, had to undergo to be able to live something we take for granted, a normal life in freedom. The author is a master story-teller who keeps you on the edge of your seat, unable to put the book down from cover-to-cover. He has undoubtedly and successfully transferred his portrait painting experience from the plastic arts to the literary arena. He clearly delineates the personalities of all the characters until you feel you know them. You empathize with Julian growing up turbo-speed out of necessity, honing his artistic sensibilities and noble personality without caving-in under pressure. Another trait that is very much part of the Cuban personality is the ingenuity shown by all of the characters. Necessity is the mother of invention. This is something that is very patent on the island today as the Cuban people are forced to make-do without any resources and it is also a very big reason why Miami has become an international hub after the Cuban influx, at which time it was just a sleepy beach town and retirement community. Many kudos to Flores-Jenkins on a job well done. He has proven his mettle and I expect his future works will build on this one and surpass it. I am looking forward to the next one.
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