by Carlos Eire
First published 2014
Carlos steps off the plane in Miami in 1962, leaving behind revolutionary Cuba and the family he may never see again. His memoir "Nieve en La Habana" won the National Book Award in 2003 for chronicling his childhood during Castro's rise to power. Now this sequel picks up where that story ended. The boy who once lived in Havana must navigate American foster homes, learn English, and decode the mysteries of his new country. Carlos realizes that becoming American requires the death of his Cuban self. He moves through foster care, shedding pieces of his past identity until he even changes his name to Charles. The immigrant's eternal dilemma unfolds as he struggles between preserving his origins and embracing his future. Years will pass before Carlos sees his mother again. His devoted father he will never see again. Each adaptation feels like another small death, another step away from the boy he used to be.
Genres: historical-fiction, coming-of-age, autobiography, memoir, biography-memoir
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family, identity-crisis
Setting: Cuba, Havana, Miami
Period: 1962, 2003
354 pages · Kindle Edition · Simon & Schuster