90 Miles to Havana

By: Enrique Flores-Galbis

Narrated by: Enrique Flores-Galbis

Winner of a Pura Belpré Award, this middle grade Cuban American coming-of-age novel is inspired by the author's own experience.

When Julian's parents make the heartbreaking decision to send him and his two brothers away from Cuba to Miami via the Pedro Pan operation, the boys are thrust into a new world where bullies run rampant and it’s not always clear how best to protect themselves.

©2010 Enrique Flores-Galbis (P)2013 AudioGO

Inspiring and heartwarming!

What a wonderful account of a boy’s courageous experience. This book reminds me of Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez. Any reader would be influenced for good by the many life lessons learned from this experience. The description and author’s craft was delightful to the ears. I could imagine all of it like I was right next to him.

What a great adventure!

For me this book was special because I also grew up in a world that was rapidly changing, in Zimbabwe, and as a kid I didn't really realise what it all meant.

Things I loved about this book:
- that it is told from a child's perspective so there is very little judgement on the politics of the day.
- it's a real adventure
- it shows that even though the people can be nasty to us at times it's kindness and friendship that holds our world together
- I loved being invited into this warm Cuban family.

Thanks Enrique for sharing your story!

Perspective from necessity

The courage required to escape and then survive after Cuba had its revolution is beyond the average person’s experiences. This story unfolds with characters that pull your heart strings. Beautifully written and narrated.

The Ugly Truth

In the beginning, I didn’t like the narration, but I grew to like it. This book is the ugly truth about separation of families to flee Cuba. Imagine the emotional scars from this time.

A great adventure.

The universe loves courage. It rewards courage by lifting barriers.

This story is proof of that quote. A truly epic adventure. Id love to meet Julian.

This book was great!!!

I loved this book and I highly suggest it. There was so many changes they had to go through but they made it through everything

Wonderful

I originally downloaded this book for my literature class a.k.a. reading class as a 6th I’m not very fond of reading . Going into this book I was not excited I did not think it was going to be good or exciting I started to listen to it more and more and might I say I just love The story the person who read the story is amazing and I would love to hear him read more stories thank you so much audible for putting this together

The Cuban Revolution through the eyes of a boy

Where does 90 Miles to Havana rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

In the top 25%

What was one of the most memorable moments of 90 Miles to Havana?

When the family drives down the familiar boulevard of Havana and sees people looting the houses of the rich. The father tells the son, "Remember this. This is what a revolution looks like."

What does Enrique Flores-Galbis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Actually, although I liked his voice and subtle accent, I think an actor might have done a better job.

Any additional comments?

This is supposed to be a book for ages 10-14. I bought the audiobook for my dyslexic daughter when it was assigned in her 5th grade class. However, I really enjoyed it too!

Brought back memories

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It brought back memories of my childhood as I am also a Pedro Pan immigrant. It was written excellently. This book would be interesting to anyone who loves read a quick paced adventure. Five stars.

It is real

This is real! Immigration for what ever need or want still mirrors hardship! The triumph is strong! As a mother of two boys I could never imagine the pain of making such a decision. As a social worker I respect the perils of all individuals who come to this country to make it great!