6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Story of Immigration, March 13, 2003
This review is from: Flight to Freedom (Hardcover)
Veciana-Suarez's book "Flight to Freedom" realistically explores the plight of an immigrant family from communist Cuba to the United States. This fictitious novel, although set in the past, is based on historical events, thus validating the experiences of those persons written about. These experiences and struggles are typical of immigrants moving into the US from foreign countries. In this book the reader is taken along side a Cuban girl named Yara, exploring together the ravaging effects of political persecution (which forces her family into exile), the unmerciful prejudice of Americans, the misunderstanding of cultural roles based on societal norms, and newfound freedoms never known before. This book raises compelling questions pertaining to the life of immigrants, and how events in history have formed their past and future.
Yara begins the journal of her life while living in Havana, Cuba. The author appeals to the reader by revealing this documentation in writing the book in journal style, starting it on April 2, 1967 continuing through July 4, 1968. At this time in history she explains that Castro controlled the Cuban people with an iron fist, requiring young boys to enroll in the military and young girls to do backbreaking work in the agricultural fields. As a result of such tyranny, many counterrevolutionary families, similar to Yara's, exiled themselves from this government, fleeing to the United States where revolts against Cuba were were being developed.
The reader, depending on their background, will find the conflicting culture shock startling or reminiscent. After moving to the United States, Yara's family was not prepared for a culture so different from their own. First of all, school settings are not usually pleasant for an immigrant, which was affirmed in Yara's experience. In American schools, if a student did not know English they were considered ignorant; they were discriminated against because of the clothes they wore and the customs they participated in. Another difference was liberal gender roles, allowing older women to drive cars, further their education, and work at jobs outside the home. American culture was peppered with President Johnson's administration, the Vietnam War, Aretha Franklin, and the death of Martin Luther King, all elements that compromised Cuban culture and ideals.
Adjustments to life in America lead to identity crises. Many immigrants, mostly those of the second generation, found themselves torn between two cultures, the one they lived at home and the other they experienced in the real world. Each required full dedication and total allegiance. Cuban culture desires to claim those born into it, with the vision of keeping the language and traditions. American culture takes the view that if foreigners invade the land, they should conform to popular culture. The immigrant desires to remain true to both, because experiences from either sides are forming their identity.
The reader will find that immigration is no easy thing to experience. This book informs its audience of the immigrant struggle through the eyes of a thirteen year old. Many scenes within the story line are believable and easily parallel fiction to realistic struggles. There are a few parts, however, that do not seem so plausible. One being that Yara learns the English language, reading and writing to the point of fluency, within three months of moving to the United States. Anyone that has taken a foreign language can attest to the difficulty of such a task, and it is doubtful that three months was a realistic time frame. Overall, the author will leave the reader enlightened after reading about lives of immigrants and will encourage them to think about issues immigrants face everyday.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A moving story, March 13, 2005
A Kid's Review
Flight to Freedom is a moving story about a young Cuban immigrant who moves to the United States without knowing any English. Her family had left Cuba because of their unjust communist leader, Fidel Castro, and had not been able to come as a whole family because their older brother had been forced to join the Cuban army. In her diary, Yara records all her joys and woes and it ends up being a great book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Review from a 10-year old Girl, September 24, 2007
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Flight to Freedom (Hardcover)
I think the book "Flight to Freedom" by Ana Veciana-Suarez is very interesting because the whole book is a diary of a Cuban girl who has to adapt to a new culture.
The book opens in Cuba with Yara, a 13-year-old girl, in a strict boarding school. She has to work so hard in the fields that she gets callouses on her hands. She is a Christian, but she is not allowed to have a Bible. When she comes home from the school to her family, she finds out that part of the family has to move to Miami because of Cuban President Fidel Castro. Her brother has to stay behind because he was forced to join the Cuban army. Yara is devastated because she has to leave her home and her friends to go a strange country that she has never been to before. She doesn't know if she can ever return to Cuba.
Once in Miami, Yara must learn how Americans live and she must learn their language too. She makes one friend in Miami and she's starting to learn how Americans dress. She gets to go to her friend's sleepover and she wants to go with her on a road trip during vacation.
Does Yara get to go? What happens in the end? Will Yara move back to Cuba? Try reading this book and find out what happens! This book is a real page turner. I also like this book because it is so descriptive and detailed.
One of my favorite parts of the book is a scene during math class at school in Miami. Yara tells the teacher how she learned to do subtraction a different way in Cuba. Her teacher shares the new method with the whole class, and this makes Yara feel accepted. But she still tries to do things the American way.
I would recommend "Flight to Freedom" for ages 10 and up because the book is complex and it has some Spanish phrases. Some kids might find this book confusing because Yara has a huge family and there are a lot of different characters in the book to keep up with. Sometimes I got lost and did not understand what the author was trying to say. But overall, the book made me curious about Cuba and I'm glad I read it! One thing I am still wondering about is exactly why Yara's family had to go to Miami. Maybe you can find out.
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