Leaving Cuba was traumatic for my family. Assimilating in Hoboken, New Jersey, was challenging and often comical. Situations that seemed insurmountable as a child are funny in retrospect...now that I know the outcome!
My Cuban Story is a memoir written by a Cuban immigrant who moved to the United States as a child during Fidel Castro’s regime. The book describes his family’s tortuous journey to leave the country, pursue entry to the United States, and adapt to their new surroundings. Along the way, Cabrera tells many amusing stories and details about his family.
It’s a fun, light-hearted book I would recommend to fans of memoirs. It’s not revolutionary or anything, but it’s still worth a read if you’re interested in Cuban culture.
A reader would think My Cuban Story by Vic Cabrera would be about the rebellion and the taking of Cuba by Castro. And there are some very interesting historical perspectives in this memoir. Better, Cabrera moves back and forth giving snatches of a young boy’s life, brought from Cuba to the United States by a very, determined father. In fact, this book is more about the determination of his father than offering his own story, or possibly, the stories are a combination and flow into one another, for it is hard to separate the determination of our parents from our own motivations and behavior. A wonderful read!