Imagine being a person who is forced to leave their home country and go to a new place far away, struggling to keep their family safe, and having to deal with a war-like situation. Well, here is my review of the book Letters From Cuba by Ruth Behar. This is a historical fiction book based on the true-life story of the author’s grandmother during the Second World War. The chapters in this book are written as a letter from the main character, Esther, to her sister. This book is a Pura Belpre Award winner.
Esther is an ordinary eleven-year-old Jewish girl who lives in Poland with her family. The trouble starts when Nazis start attacking Jews living in Poland. Esther’s father decides to leave home, and he can only take one member of the family to Cuba. He chooses Esther to accompany him to Cuba. Her father wants to collect some money and then bring the rest of their family there. Esther has to travel across the Atlantic Ocean in a boat along with other refugees. When she arrives in Cuba, she meets some kind people and quickly picks up Spanish. She helps her dad in his work, but when a kind lady named Senora Graciela gives Esther a sewing machine, Esther’s creativity quickly picks up. She starts making and selling dresses. Meanwhile, Senor Eduardo, a racist man, starts troubling the Jewish refugees. This makes Esther and her father uncomfortable, Esther knows she’s not alone and has the support of good people like Doctor Pablo, Senora Graciela, Francisco, Juan Chang, and many more. Esther writes letters to her sister, Malka in Poland regularly. She shares her experiences and events in the letter. Mr. Abraham and Esther enjoy their life in Cuba, but they also struggle to try collecting enough funds to bring their whole family to Cuba safely. Will Esther and her dad have enough money to unite with their family? To learn more about Esther’s life, please read this book.
There are several reasons for liking this book. Here are some reasons why I personally like it. While reading this book, I noticed that this book is similar to Letters From Rifka’ by Karen Hesse. Both stories are about two girls on their journey of freedom and escaping war. Their stories are told in the form of letters to a loved one and their experience as an immigrant. Similarly, my second reason is because of the format. This book is written as a letter, which makes me see the character’s perspective and the reality of Esther. My third reason is the likable character of Esther. I can relate to her character filled with courage, friendliness, and responsibility. My final reason is the book shows lots of facts and details of their culture and the beautiful country of Cuba. I have not been to Cuba but learned a lot about that place. The theme of this book is family, friendship, immigration, courage, racism, hope, and facing challenges in life.
If you want to read this book, you can order this book on Amazon or the Library.
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