Letters from Cuba

De: Ruth Behar

Narrado por: Rebecca Soler

Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar's inspiring story of a young Jewish girl who escapes Poland to make a new life in Cuba while she works to rescue the rest of her family.

The situation is getting dire for Jews in Poland on the eve of World War II. Esther's father has fled to Cuba, and she is the first one to join him. It's heartbreaking to be separated from her beloved sister, so Esther promises to write down everything that happens until they're reunited. And she does, recording both the good - the kindness of the Cuban people and her discovery of a valuable hidden talent - and the bad: the fact that Nazism has found a foothold even in Cuba. Esther's evocative letters are full of her appreciation for life and reveal a resourceful, determined girl with a rare ability to bring people together, all the while striving to get the rest of their family out of Poland before it's too late.

Based on Ruth Behar's family history, this compelling story celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the most challenging times.

©2020 Ruth Behar (P)2020 Listening Library

Reseñas de la Crítica

"This is a quiet story of determination, and an openly loving tribute to the author’s grandmother, who made the real journey that inspired Esther’s fictional one.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“Pura Belpré Award winner Behar’s newest story is based on her own grandmother’s immigration journey. Eleven-year-old Esther bravely travels to Cuba from Poland to help her father earn enough money for the rest of their family to join them, including her mother, grandmother, three brothers, and cherished sister Malka. The narrative is told in a series of letters from Esther to Malka, chronicling her journey across the sea and her experiences in this new homeland.... Throughout the story, readers learn that many Jewish people are arriving in Cuba, trying to escape the Jewish persecution in Europe, despite Nazi sympathy infiltrating the island. Readers dive into the story headfirst as they get to know Esther, her family, and her newfound friends. Esther’s first-person descriptions of people and the island craft a vivid experience of Cuba’s sights, sounds, and culinary delights. Readers will not want to part with this story of resilience. A World War II refugee tale that spotlights dedicated hard work. A must-have.” (School Library Journal, starred review)

"After three years abroad, Papa’s saved only enough money to send for one of his children. Thus Esther boards the steamship alone even though she’s not quite 12. Cuba is a constant surprise.... In glowing letters to her sister back in Poland, Esther details how she’s learning Spanish through the poems of José Martí. She introduces her sister to her beloved new friends.... Esther’s first year in Cuba is marked by the calendar of Jewish holidays, as she wonders if she can be both Cuban and a Jew. As the coming war looms in Europe, she and her friends find solidarity.... An author’s note describes how the story was loosely inspired by the author’s own family history. Warmhearted cross-cultural friendship for a refugee on distant shores: both necessary and kind.” (Kirkus Reviews)

A very special book

I read this book with my 9 year old. It was informative with deep perspective that was told gently enough for them to understand. Many parts made my heart hurt and I was grateful for the happy ending and authors note at the end.

I am so sorry for a great way!edit on my comment i

the only way I can get the higher up the same as you know and you should probably do something similar if the UK isn't the same difference at any time to go with them or have to buy that stuff or a lot and have it to work out to be honest! and I hope this

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i like it because i like spanish stuff and i speak Spanish its really good.

Excellent Read!

I am working with my local library and it’s youth book club. This was the November choice. It is an excellent choice. I was absorbed in the story right away. So much so that towards the end I began to worry about the characters. I highly recommend this book for any age. The narrator captures the leads voice with perfection. I can’t wait to chat this book up with the book club. Enjoy!

Great And one of the best books ever

It was a nice and interestingly planed book. My favorite parts was the African drums