Flight To Freedom

Rating:
Summary: A Story of Immigration
Review: 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.