This book is so well written. From the very beginning you can almost see the sun, smell the air and you definately feel when the author is angry or happy. Our book club loved it. I personally learned so much about Cuba and it's people. I both laughed and cried while reading this book. I highly recommend it!

This is a beautifully written memoir, combining humor and the pain of a child's exile from his parents. Yet I found myself wishing at times that the editing had been tighter, that there had been a little less blowing up of lizards and firecrackers. Also the repeated references to Kant fell flat, for me. But the language, the humor, the tale of exile are handled beautifully.

I've rated this book "fun" but also "boring" and "pointless". Some of the descriptions are comic enough to make you smile, though not laugh out loud. They go on, however, much too long. In the end, the questions of faith, loyalty, family, and good vs. evil are handled in a way that left me cold.

In the early 1960's 14,000 children were airlifted out of Cuba, alone and afraid. Imagine being a small child leaving your parents, schoolmates, and the only country you've ever known behind and being put on a plane. The author, Carlos Eire, and his brother, never saw their father again. The author lived in a foster home and orphanage,struggled to survive, and decades later writes this amazing story. His memories and descriptions of Cuba are enlightening and fascinating. His writing is poetic and holds the reader's interest. I learned a lot from this book and it led to a great group discussion.

Amazing telling of Castro's takeover of Cuba. And the resulting migration of 14,000 Cuban children to the United States.