Cuba, I Remember You/ Cuba, TE Recuerdo by Oscar M. Ramirez-Orbea: Book Cover

    Cuba, I Remember You/ Cuba, TE Recuerdo by Oscar M. Ramirez-Orbea

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    (Paperback - Bilingual)

    • Pub. Date: February 2006
    • 373pp

      Reader Rating: (6 ratings)

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      Product Details

      • Pub. Date: February 2006
      • Publisher: Airleaf Publishing & Bookselling
      • Format: Paperback, 373pp

      Customer Reviews

      Cuba, I Remember You/ Cuba, TE Recuerdoby Anonymous

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      September 18, 2006: If you want to find the truth of the every day family life in Cuba, then, you really need to read this book. It is written in a very fresh, easy-to read way that you will enjoy all through. It will make you laugh, cry, and cheer. You'll be impressed all at the same time. Being different with the majority of the books you will find about the island, this is not touristy nor political but it shows you both of those aspects as they directly affect the family of little Oscar Ramirez, which is the love between a little boy (the writer) and his Cuban family members. The stories are so real, that you will fell what he feels when describing his love of a memory, a memory of home. I recommend it to all people who have fond memories of family and home.

      Cuba, I Remember You/ Cuba, TE Recuerdoby Anonymous

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      August 28, 2006: Recently Cuban dictator Fidel Castro temporarily handed power over to his brother, Raul, while he underwent surgery and recuperation from intestinal problems. As the news media reviews the legacy and rule of Fidel Castro, now would be a good time to look a that legacy from the point-of-view of one who lived in Cuba pre- and post-revolution. Oscar Ram?rez-Orbea is one who grew up pre-revolution and saw all that his family work hard for be taken by the Communists under Castro. As the title suggests, this book is bi-lingual, written by a professor who actually was born and raised in Cuba and fled Cuba as a boy with his family. The Ram?rez-Orbea family lost all they had worked for when Castro seized private property 'for the common good.' The author also includes illustrations of the homes he lived in as well as photographs. The Ram?rez-Orbea family trees are also illustrated. Ram?rez-Orbea's dislike of the Castro regime is not hidden. There is nothing about Communism that has a redeeming value in his eyes. After seeing all that his family worked so hard to build up being taken away 'for the common good,' you can't blame his views on the subject. Ram?rez-Orbea also hopes that the book becomes a movie. It could be a good movie along the lines of A Christmas Story (based on In God We Trust--All Others Pay Cash by Jean Shepherd). It is not a straight narrative of his life as the author tells us about his family or the homes he lived in or the schools he attended. The period between Castro's takeover of Cuba and the family's flight to the United States was dramatic. The family had to move to a smaller home and the author was sent to a Catholic school (even though his mother taught in the public schools--and had an underground business as a tutor). His final day at the Salesian school St John Bosco was marked by rampaging 'revolutionaries' breaking through the fence and taking over the school. Imagine fearing for your life at school? Most clergy left Cuba shortly after this. The family had decided to leave Cuba and applied for exit papers. Of course they became unemployable, people marked as 'unpatriotic.' For several years (when they did get permission to go to the US) the family couldn't get any official jobs and were unemployed and unemployable. Ram?rez-Orbea highlights the irony that even as the government reported no unemployment his parents were unemployed--and were considered 'unemployable.' It was then that the family found ways to support itself, such as baking cakes to sell, the mother tutoring in her home, and other odd jobs. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Cuban history, in the realities of Communism, and in the indomitable human spirit. Being bilingual, the book can be used as an aid in teaching a second language (Spanish to the English speaker or English to the Spanish speaker). Granted most instructors won't want the book's handy 'jimmy' structure, but for myself I am able to try to learn Spanish on my own. The author also has an appendix for instructors wishing to use this book in the classroom. Check it out! The author has some pointed barbs about Communism. Usually it's of an ironic sort, such as his unemployed, unemployable parents in a land with no unemployment. There is the reminiscence of the trenches dug for missiles which were never finished. The author states: 'Given this Communist efficiency, thank God the Americans never attacked us!' Of course the trenches...


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