El Miedo Nos Hizo Fuertes / Fear Made Us Strong

Alexis Vald廥 escribe con profunda ternura sobre el ni隳 que fue y logra reflejar en estasp墔inas no solo los a隳s m嫳 duros de su vida, sino transportar al lector a la Cuba de su infancia y adolescencia, con sus problemas, sus carencias, su dolor, pero tambi幯 con una alegr燰 de vivir y la esperanza de que alg d燰 todo ser?mejor.

El peque隳 Alexis es un ni隳 sensible y t璥ido, que vive con su madre, su hermano y su padrastro que le odia porque se parece mucho a su padre. El machista padrastro no soporta esa imagen dentro de la casa: La imagen del otro hombre de su mujer.

El autor narra su vida en un pa疄 donde el abuso y el bullying flota en el ambiente: En casa, donde soportaba las palizas del innombrable, porque se rehusa a escribir su nombre; en el barrio, donde otros padres golpean a sus hijos, los fuertes abusan de los d嶵iles y los homosexuales son masacrados, y en el pa疄 donde el gobierno abusa de todos.

Alexis y su familia viven en un barrio de La Habana donde los guapos --los tipos duros dela calle-- imponen su ley. Es un ambiente salvaje donde son comunes las peleas de boxeo clandestinas. Solo hay un hombre bueno al que todos temen en el barrio, fuerte como una roca, el padrastro de Renecito, el ni隳 estrella del barrio, y uno de los defensores denuestro protagonista.

Los otros defensores que salvan al ni隳 son su abuela Am廨ica, una viejita m墔ica que leda esperanza y fuerza; su hermano asm嫢ico y delgaducho, pero muy valiente, y su padre, que es un hombre de 憖ito, alegre y cari隳so, pero al que no permiten ver a menudo.

El escape del ni隳 es su sue隳 de viajar a Praga, una ciudad llena de castillos y ni隳s con gorritos y las mejillas rosadas. Todo comienza cuando participa en un concurso de Radio Praga Internacional, que tiene una emisi鏮 especial para Am廨ica Latina. El ni隳 les manda una carta cada semana para participar en el concurso que, de ganarlo, le llevar燰 ala hermosa ciudad Checa, y m嫳 que eso, le sacar燰 por un tiempo del infierno en que vive.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

A heartwarming tale about a young boy who, in spite of dealing with abuse at home, in his neighborhood, and in his country, never lost his joy of living.

With deep tenderness, Alexis Vald廥 writes about the boy he once was. Within these pages, he not only captures the toughest years in his life, but takes the reader to the Cuba of his childhood and teenage years, with his problems, his deprivations, his pain, but also his lust for life and the hope of a better day.

Young Alexis is a sensitive and shy boy who lives with his mother, brother, and stepfather, who hates him because Alexis looks a lot like his father. His sexist stepfather can't stand his likeness around the house--the face of his wife's other man.

The author retells his experience in a country where abuse and bullying permeate the air. At home, where he stands the constant beatings of the unmentionable--because he refuses to write down his name. In his neighborhood, where the other parents beat their children, the strong mistreat the weak, and homosexuals are massacred. In a country where the government abuses everyone.

Alexis and his family live in Havana, in a neighborhood where the "guapos"--the tough kids--make the law. It's a wild environment where illegal boxing matches are commonplace. There is only one good man, strong as a rock, that everyone is afraid of: Renecito's stepfather, the golden boy in the neighborhood and one of our protagonist's protectors.

The other protectors who save Alexis are his grandmother, Am廨ica, a magical old lady that gives him strength and hope; his asthmatic and skinny but very brave brother, and his father, a successful man, cheerful and caring, but whom he doesn't get to see so often.

Alexis escapes by dreaming of going to Prague, a city full of castles and children with beanies and rosy cheeks. It all starts when he enters a Prague International Radio contest, a special broadcast for Latin America. Alexis sends them a letter every week to join the competition. If he should win, he would go to the beautiful Czech city. And more than that, he would escape the hell he lives in for a while.