Four stories follow four racially diverse young Cubans in the first years after the Cuban Revolution. Ana and her mother move to the United States after her father, who fought for Castro, dies in government custody after protesting the new regime’s brutality. Upper-middle-class Miguel’s journey as part of Operation Pedro Pan leads to an orphanage in New York, where he and other light-skinned Cuban refugees protest after realizing they’re given privileges that the Black and brown U.S. kids who live there don’t receive. Zulema lives in rural Cuba, where two young brigadistas are teaching people to read, an opportunity that delights her in spite of the growing tensions around resistance to Castro. In the aftermath of the Bay of Pigs, Afro-Cuban Juan distances himself from his friend Paco, his “blood brother,” who gets caught up in the idea of being a soldier and finds purpose and camaraderie in spying on neighbors. Individually compelling, with details of each protagonist’s life and the changes they undergo in both circumstance and feelings about themselves and others, these four loosely connected stories offer insight into some of the reasons behind the Cuban Revolution and changes it brought for better (greater access to education and health care for the poor) and for worse (oppression, violence, and exile).  (Ages 10-13)

From Pura Belpré Honoree and Emmy-award winning actor Sonia Manzano--best known as "Maria" from Sesame Street--comes the expansive and timeless story of four children who must carve out a path for themselves in the wake of Fidel Castro's rise to power.

Fifteen-time Emmy Award winner and Pura Belpre honoree Sonia Manzano examines the impact of the 1959 Cuban Revolution on four children from very different walks of life. In the wake of a new regime in Cuba, Ana, Miguel, Zulema, and Juan learn to find a place for themselves in a world forever changed. In a tumultuous moment of history, we see the lasting affects of a revolution in Havana, the countryside, Miami, and New York. Through these snapshot stories, we are reminded that regardless of any tumultuous times, we are all forever connected in our humanity.