Tales of Castro

Have you ever REALLY wanted to walk out of a bad movie? Or leave a boring class lecture? Or escape the dentist’s waiting room as the sound of the drill looms beyond? Now try to imagine that aching urge to leave being a constant part of your life and that the thing you want to escape is your government.

In Leaving Glorytown: One Boy's Struggle Under Castro, Eduardo F. Calcines recounts his life in Cuba from the time he was five during the Bay of Pigs Invasion until he boarded a plane to Miami when he was 14. I thought his writing a little dry for the first chapter or so, BUT THEN Calcines really hits his stride and all the characters pop. You get to know his family, his friends (some are Communists), his teachers, the intimidating thugs that show up at block parties and the classmate who messes with his mind by telling him his mother is home “turning tricks” while his dad is at work camp. In fact she was home baking vanilla sugar cakes to sell on the black market in order to survive, literally.

His memories of Cuba are of Castro’s voice droning on and on over loud speakers, long lines for rationed food, feeling hungry, soldiers taking his dad away in the middle of the night and being humiliated by teachers who called him a “worm” after his parents applied for an exit visa. But his memories also include the song of birds, the sounds of adults playing dominoes on porches at night, the smell of tropical flowers and Cuban coffee, blue water and the movie house. 

What I really enjoyed about this book was the realistic dialog between characters, the way the author captures his close relationship with his family, in particular his father, and the ANTICIPATION!!! When will the visa approval telegram arrive???? When will they get to America??? I was left with the impression that these are good people, and that Castro’s loss was America’s gain. And I was reminded of another growing up in a Communist country book I reviewed: Mao and Me.

Ages 12 and up
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In order to learn more about Castro I picked up a copy of Fidel Castro: Cuban President and Revolutionary at the library. It was published just last year. Here’s what I learned:

• His father owned a successful sugar plantation
• His mother was his Dad's housekeeper (they weren’t married, but married later)
• He resisted being controlled by authority figures (hmm, then he became one)
• He was involved in the revolution in Colombia
• He earned a law degree
• He detested the Cuban dictator, Batista, who arrested those who opposed him and strictly controlled the government, press and public opinion (hmm, and then he wound up doing those things)
• He served time in prison for trying to overthrow Batista
• He trained for guerrilla warfare in Mexico
• While hiding in the Sierra Maestra hills after another unsuccessful attempt to over throw Batista’s regime Castro was interviewed by the New York Times.
• Castro’s forces grew and Batista fled to the Dominican Republic
• Castro became Commander in Chief and named Judge Manuel Urrutia Lleo president, but over time eased his way into complete power
• He redistributed land, controlled the press, punished those who opposed him and nationalized private industry
• He had a positive impact on literacy and provided free medical care

I also learned about the Bay of Pigs, The Cuban Missle Crisis, the Muriel Boat Lift, his relations with other nations and all things Castro. This book would be real asset for anyone working on a research paper.

Ages 12 and up
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 Activity: Here is a Castro crossword puzzle.

Growing Up with Mao

The author of Mao's Last Dancer, Li Cunxin, and I were born the same year, 1961, which gave me an immediate feeling of connection to him. But I soon learned that our birth year is about all we have in common. While I grew up cruising the neighborhood on my new Schwinn, his family of nine shared one used bike that cost them two months salary. While I was getting seconds of roast beef, his family was quibbling over who was going to eat the occasional pencil eraser sized meat on their table (along the lines of “no you eat it, I ate it last time.”) While I was learning to read Dick and Jane and being entertained by Walt Disney on Sunday nights, Cunxin was doing his mandatory reading of The Little Red Book and playing a nightly word finding game with his brothers using the newsprint wallpaper in their two room shack.

With this book Li Cunxin brought me right into his Chinese peasant life during the cultural revolution with a writing style that was a pleasure to read. But, you may be wondering, why “Last Dancer?” The author was chosen at the age of eleven to attend ballet school in Beijing. Though he didn't start out that way, he became a standout dancer. He changed in other ways too, especially after being sent to America for a few weeks to dance with the Houston Ballet. Although he grew up a devout communist he began to question the propaganda he had been fed his whole life about the west and America in particular.

This is a fascinating look at one man's struggle to reconcile two polarizing ideologies. Although I had no particular interest in ballet, I still enjoyed this book immensely, and have gained a better appreciation for this art form. This autobiography is incredibly insightful. I would recommend it to any adult.

Right after I finished Mao's Last Dancer I found a picture book by another Chinaman of the same era. Mao and Me is a collection of the childhood memories of the talented Chen Jiang Hong, who also illustrated this memoir. The art filled pages contain recollections children can relate to: favorite foods (dumplings), a pet cat, trips to the park, starting school, learning to ride a bike and playing with friends. But there are many uncomfortable and even frightening memories as well: having to burn family photos, food rationing, having his father sent away to reeducation camp and seeing fellow citizens publicly humiliated. In fact, reading about the fate of his lovely neighbor, Mrs. Liu, got to me like no other account in any children's book, or any book for that matter. I was shocked at my reaction. I yelped and cried and trembled all at once. It was a feeling of horror.

I wondered how a child would handle this story, so today I shared it with my ten year old. She was sad about the sad parts, but she wasn't overwrought. Even though I had been hesitant to introduce her to the scary realities of Mao's policies, it gave us a solid platform on which to discuss the ideological leanings of the world's leaders, both past and present.

I would sum this all up by saying that this is a cautionary tale for every culture and generation. Share it.

Ages: 9-12
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Activity: Let’s act like Mao. Make your own Little Red Book using these two pages. Put your picture and name on the cover and fill it up with your own thoughts, quotes and opinions. And then if you really want to be like Mao, print up about six billion copies, make it mandatory for every citizen to study it, destroy everything that does not jive with your philosophy and send anyone who disagrees with anything you wrote to reeducation camps.

Memorizing the Preamble to the Constitution

In lieu of having cable during our children's lifetimes, we've created a little stock pile of DVD's. Out of this collection, the early Andy Griffiths are hands-down our favorites. And here's a scene I found on You Tube that illustrates why. In this episode titled Andy Discovers America from The Andy Griffith Show - The Complete Third Season, Barney Fife "shows off" his ability to recall what he learned in his 8th grade history class. This is a MUST SEE for any child having to memorize the preamble to the constitution. Classic!