Other editions of book Flight to Freedom

Yara Garcia ‘s family has lived in Havana, Cuba, for several generations, but when Communist ruler Fidel Castro clamps down on personal freedoms, the Garcias are forced to flee the island. In Miami, where they settle with other exiles, 13-year-old Yara struggles to learn a new language, make new friends, and adapt to a strange land with foreign customs. So do her parents, sisters, and grandparents, who adjust to new lives with varying success. As tension develops in the family, Yara realizes how different she is from her classmates, most of whom are allowed more privileges than she is. Set in the turbulent years of 1967 and 1968, this poignant book about immigration and separation provides a mesmerizing account of a young woman’s resiliency in the face of change and a family’s efforts to make a new life far from home.

Yara Garcia ‘s family has lived in Havana, Cuba, for several generations, but when Communist ruler Fidel Castro clamps down on personal freedoms, the Garcias are forced to flee the island. In Miami, where they settle with other exiles, 13-year-old Yara struggles to learn a new language, make new friends, and adapt to a strange land with foreign customs. So do her parents, sisters, and grandparents, who adjust to new lives with varying success. As tension develops in the family, Yara realizes how different she is from her classmates, most of whom are allowed more privileges than she is. Set in the turbulent years of 1967 and 1968, this poignant book about immigration and separation provides a mesmerizing account of a young woman’s resiliency in the face of change and a family’s efforts to make a new life far from home.

First Person Fiction is dedicated to the immigrant experience in modern America. "Flight to Freedom" is closely based on Suarez's own story of leaving Cuba during the Freedom Flights of the 1960s.Yara Garcia and her family live a middle-class life in Havana, Cuba. But in 1967, as Communist ruler Fidel Castro tightens his hold on Cuba, the Garcias, who do not share the political beliefs of the Communist Party, are forced to flee to Miami, Florida. There, Yara encounters a strange land with foreign customs. She knows very little English, and she finds that the other students in her new school have much more freedom than she and her sisters. Tension develops between her parents, as Mami grows more independent and Papi joins a militant anti-Castro organization.

First Person Fiction is dedicated to the immigrant experience in modern America. "Flight to Freedom" is closely based on Suarez's own story of leaving Cuba during the Freedom Flights of the 1960s.Yara Garcia and her family live a middle-class life in Havana, Cuba. But in 1967, as Communist ruler Fidel Castro tightens his hold on Cuba, the Garcias, who do not share the political beliefs of the Communist Party, are forced to flee to Miami, Florida. There, Yara encounters a strange land with foreign customs. She knows very little English, and she finds that the other students in her new school have much more freedom than she and her sisters. Tension develops between her parents, as Mami grows more independent and Papi joins a militant anti-Castro organization.