On Freedom's Shores

It is 1961 and the effort to bring democracy to Cuba has met failure at the Bay of Pigs. Brigade 2506, after having been abandoned on the battlefield by the United States government, now languishes in a Cuban prison. Fidel Castro, meanwhile, finds himself unimpeded in his quest to bring Cuba under Communist rule. As totalitarianism sweeps across the island, hundreds of thousands of Cubans flee and seek sanctuary in the United States. In Book II, Goyo and Roberto Leon find themselves among the Brigade prisoners awaiting their fate at the hands of the Cuban regime. Goyo’s wife, Raquel, faced with shrinking options, is compelled to send her children to the United States via an airlift of unaccompanied refugee children. In Book III, the Leon children face an uncertain future in a foreign land. After spending a short time in Miami, they are sent to New York City where their lives take a series of unexpected turns; their odyssey finally lands them in a most unforgettable foster care situation. Set in one of America’s most iconic neighborhoods, On Freedom’s Shores promises to grip readers with the breathtaking tale of an immigrant child coming of age and to transport them to a time and place that was, for some, innocent and, for others, frightening.