Exiled Memories: A Cuban Childhood

by Pablo Medina

A happy, middle-class childhood lived in the shadows of sweeping social change and oncoming revolutionsuch was the experience of novelist Pablo Medina. In this memoir, Medina revisits his curious double world, recalling the pre-revolutionary Cuba of his first twelve years, 1948-1960. His recollections move easily from his childhood adventures to warm remembrances of family and friends to his growing awareness of the social conflicts that would ultimately send his family into exile in the United States. Medina also draws on the memories of his elders to extend his memoir back to the Cuban War of Independence and forward through the twentieth century to the fall of the Batista regime, the victory of the Revolution in 1959, and the family's growing disillusionment with the Castro regime. This first paperback edition also includes a new Epilogue describing Medina's visit to Cuba in 1999. 14 black and white photographs, preface, epilogue, glossary.

135 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Jose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Exiled Memories:A Cuban Childhood by Pablo Medina(Novelist),I want to give this five stars but I cannot,Fellow Cuban Mr.Medina does have a eloquent prose and is very gifted but his memoir of his childhood while a fascinating read(yet sadly short)it is laced with irregularities,half-truths or at the very least lack of research or ignorance of the facts.He gives lip-service to the usual Batista the "Brutal"Dictator,which that he was a cretin no one will dispute and a thief and opportunist but a Mass-murderer?(not on the Scale of Fidel And Raul And Che.)it reminds one of the stories my folks told me that my great grandparents told which were from being sympathetic to Batista(who they detested as Do I and were NEVER Pro-Revolution or Pro-Fidel,Mainly Apolitical and Prio supporters thanks to relation and The Autenticos Prosperous Policies) which he also re-tells the Boehmia Stories of the torture which were at least exaggerations of torture,and at worst outright lies.(A Exile later who killed himself who worked for the magazine admitted the 20,000 killed under batista was something they misled on purpose.)Although There was those who did met a horrible end thanks in part to a Alert Batista Police force,it was only those who were actively engaged in overthrowing the regime and not apolitical folks.I have a Relative who Did went crazy thanks to a Batista Interrogator I am told and another who was forced by Ventura to drink urine out of a toilet.So Batista was for all intents and purposes not good for the republic but he was replaced by a Monster as admitted by the author when talking about the "Secret Police" which later became the current Secret Police the G-2 under another tyrant.Perhaps the author can be forgiven after he was a child and was writing from what he recalls and what influences/things he might have read or misinformed on.Since he never mentions once the Prosperity under Grau And Prio and the Autentico platform.His mention of Inequality is once again malinformed of the so-called discriminated against but not in the sense of Jim Crow in America,his downtrodden and his mention of his Colono family as if he was ashamed makes him look like a bleeding-heart and the fact he later(not mentioned in the book since it was years before) ventured back to A place that cared nothing for him makes him un Cubano Arrepentido at times,too romantic and poetic but not enough on facts just a Memoir with some sadness,some laughter and a little bit of the culture but no credit where credit is due for his homeland.

[Anika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poet Pablo Medina's first book, a simple memoir of a life most of us can't imagine.