"Tomorrow turned into next week.
And next week into next month.
Math was still tedious, but I discovered
that I liked to draw -
that I liked to draw -
and wasn't half bad at it, either. My teacher
said I had a good "visual memory". I think
that meant I could hold pictures in my
head and put them down on paper later."
said I had a good "visual memory". I think
that meant I could hold pictures in my
head and put them down on paper later."
Daniel Miyares looks back into his family's history to describe how his father's life is changed immeasurably by the Cuban Revolution. In 1956 Carlos is 12 and living near Matanzas, Cuba in the peaceful countryside. His family lives on the same street as his aunt and his grandparents. He is living a fairly boring life there. It won't be long until Fidel Castro and a small band of exiles return to their homeland in an attempt to overthrow Batista.
Although boring for a young boy, the family lives a life that is filled with affection. When his father wins the lottery, the family moves to the city where he can build a woodshop and make furniture for others. It is a big change for Carlos, whose love of nature and being outdoors is now non-existent. Called names at school for coming from the country is only a small problem once Castro comes to power. Filled with fear as his father's business is taken over by government forces and neighbors turn on neighbors, rumors fuel the worries of his family. When his father disappears, the family holds onto hope that things will get better. Many months later Papi returns home to tell them he has been making plans to take them to America and safety.
Full of suspense and a family's resilience, this story is told brilliantly in words and graphic images that offer a clear look at the beauty of the Cuban setting, while also allowing readers to feel the fear, uncertainty, and pain that change can bring. Using single page entries to between segments of Carlo's story maintains the awareness of government upheaval as it affects the people living in Cuba at that time.
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