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A review by bookteafull
The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
5.0
Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars
As a Cuban whose family had to escape Castro's Cuba, I fully expected to be emotionally impacted by this book. I'm not gunna front, I got teary-eyed toward the 75% mark and wasn't expecting this tale to end somewhat wholeheartedly? Which is why I deducted half a point - I know it sounds bitter, but knowing what I know about Cuba as a Cuban, the book ended somewhat unrealistically for me.There's no way her dad would have been able to leave Cuba since he was already labeled as a traitor by the Cuban government. Like, I let it slide that he wasn't tortured in La Cabana (which already had me a bit skeptical) but there's no way he would have made it into the US - especially by plane - with basically no problems.
Anywho, this novel is an excellent example of a well-crafted coming of age and immigration story. It's based on the true events following the Pedro Pan operation from 1960-1962 wherein the US assisted in the transportation of thousands of unaccompanied children in escaping revolutionary Cuba.
Each chapter begins with a newspaper headline depicting the events that occurred during that time. I thought this was an incredibly clever decision on behalf of the author because it served almost as a jarring reminder of the horrific deeds Castro's regime was imposing in Cuba. This wonderfully contrasted with the somewhat innocent POV obtained by the protagonist, fourteen-year-old Lucia, obtained at the beginning of the narrative; as she was somewhat blind to the changes at first as most children initially are.
Lucia is your average Cuban adolescent, preoccupied with friends, her quinces, and crush. So when Castro begins his communist revolutionary reign of totalitarian control, at first she's pleased because he's the reason schools and churches have been closed down -- and what teenager wouldn't be pleased with having more free time? Eventually Lucia realizes that things aren't quite as they seem and that Cuba is undergoing a terrifying change. You're either with Castro or you're against him, and Lucia soon finds out that being against him immediately starts your timer toward death.
One of the most impacting aspects of this book was the exploration of Karl Marx's statement that when you break down the family, all that is left is the revolution. As the reader you get to see how Castro implements this method to brainwash individuals (especially minors) into not only joining the revolution, but snitching on family member's they feel may be traitors to the new communist government. Families turn against one another in a heart beat, and the government is not afraid to threaten children to obtain results.
Lucia's parents, fearing for her and her younger brother's lives and ability to be free-thinking individuals, make the heartbreaking decision to send them to the US via Pedro Pan. Which, according to google was "the largest mass exodus of minor refugees in the Western Hemisphere at the time" with "over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors to the United States between 1960 and 1962."
Gonzalez did a superb job highlighting the struggles Lucia and her brother faced leading up to their journey into the US and eventually into their foster families whilst maintaining historical and cultural authenticity.
I know some readers have complained about Lucia's focus on "superficial" topics such as friends, crushes, and fashion but, and I repeat, she's a fourteen-year-old-girl. Girls at the age are generally known to focus on those things??? As well as some boys tbh. Especially as a means to self-distract themselves with whats occurring around them so I didn't have a problem with that at all.
I highly recommend that readers pick this novel up if they get the chance - especially those of Cuban descent.
As a Cuban whose family had to escape Castro's Cuba, I fully expected to be emotionally impacted by this book. I'm not gunna front, I got teary-eyed toward the 75% mark and wasn't expecting this tale to end somewhat wholeheartedly? Which is why I deducted half a point - I know it sounds bitter, but knowing what I know about Cuba as a Cuban, the book ended somewhat unrealistically for me.
Anywho, this novel is an excellent example of a well-crafted coming of age and immigration story. It's based on the true events following the Pedro Pan operation from 1960-1962 wherein the US assisted in the transportation of thousands of unaccompanied children in escaping revolutionary Cuba.
Each chapter begins with a newspaper headline depicting the events that occurred during that time. I thought this was an incredibly clever decision on behalf of the author because it served almost as a jarring reminder of the horrific deeds Castro's regime was imposing in Cuba. This wonderfully contrasted with the somewhat innocent POV obtained by the protagonist, fourteen-year-old Lucia, obtained at the beginning of the narrative; as she was somewhat blind to the changes at first as most children initially are.
Lucia is your average Cuban adolescent, preoccupied with friends, her quinces, and crush. So when Castro begins his communist revolutionary reign of totalitarian control, at first she's pleased because he's the reason schools and churches have been closed down -- and what teenager wouldn't be pleased with having more free time? Eventually Lucia realizes that things aren't quite as they seem and that Cuba is undergoing a terrifying change. You're either with Castro or you're against him, and Lucia soon finds out that being against him immediately starts your timer toward death.
One of the most impacting aspects of this book was the exploration of Karl Marx's statement that when you break down the family, all that is left is the revolution. As the reader you get to see how Castro implements this method to brainwash individuals (especially minors) into not only joining the revolution, but snitching on family member's they feel may be traitors to the new communist government. Families turn against one another in a heart beat, and the government is not afraid to threaten children to obtain results.
Lucia's parents, fearing for her and her younger brother's lives and ability to be free-thinking individuals, make the heartbreaking decision to send them to the US via Pedro Pan. Which, according to google was "the largest mass exodus of minor refugees in the Western Hemisphere at the time" with "over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban minors to the United States between 1960 and 1962."
Gonzalez did a superb job highlighting the struggles Lucia and her brother faced leading up to their journey into the US and eventually into their foster families whilst maintaining historical and cultural authenticity.
I know some readers have complained about Lucia's focus on "superficial" topics such as friends, crushes, and fashion but, and I repeat, she's a fourteen-year-old-girl. Girls at the age are generally known to focus on those things??? As well as some boys tbh. Especially as a means to self-distract themselves with whats occurring around them so I didn't have a problem with that at all.
I highly recommend that readers pick this novel up if they get the chance - especially those of Cuban descent.