In Flight to Freedom, Anna Veciana-Suarez brings us Yara, an eighth-grader who lives in a middle-class neighborhood of 1967 Havana, Cuba. Her parents, who do not share the political beliefs of the Communist party, finally are forces to flee Cuba with their children to Miami, Florida. There, Yara records in her diary the difficulties she encounters in a strange land with foreign customs. She must learn English and go to school with new children. Her parents also adjust to the new country differently, and Yara’s father grows frustrated with her mother when she becomes more independent.
- ISBN: 9780439381994
- Author: Veciana-Suarez, Ana
- Published: 2002, Scholastic Paperbacks
- Themes: Children, freedom, independence, Political, Religion and beliefs
- Descriptors: Caribbean, Cuba, Intermediate (ages 9-14), Realistic Fiction, Young Adult (ages 14-18)
- No. of pages: 224
This is a very touching story about a young immigrant girl who escaped to the United States from Cuba. It provides great insight on how immigrant students perceive our culture and traditions, as well as their emotions and experiences upon entering our schools for the first time. Some of Yara’s experiences on her first day of school were appalling, and it’s sad to think that these incidences may still occur in our schools today. What was most interesting to me, and what I related to the most was the conflict between her Hispanic culture and traditions and the new American culture and traditions that she and her family were beginning to adopt. In the story, Yara’s older sister wants to date an American boy, but the rules of dating in Cuban and other Hispanic cultures are different from the norms of American, and this is where we see conflicts arise within the family. It is also evident in the conflict between Yara’s mother and father, how one is becoming more accustomed, and the other can’t let go of his old ways.