Boxing for Cuba

April 15, 2013
Growing up in a wealthy, privileged family in Havana in the 1950s, Guillermo seemed to lead an idyllic life, but, in fact, he and his brothers lay awake for hours as their parents raged at each other long into the night. Then Castro came to power, and, in 1961, Guillermo's parents sent the boys to the U.S. with more than 14,000 other Cuban children on Operation Peter Pan. When relatives in Miami failed to meet the Vidal brothers, they found themselves in an orphanage in Denver, where they suffered brutal abuse. After many years, their parents joined them; Vidal grew up to be mayor of Denver, and today he is a Hispanic business leader. Cuban Americans will certainly take pride in the successful immigrant story here, but the candor of the personal drama at home gives the book added depth and resonance. Paralleling the broader context of political uproar in Cuba and the missile crisis are the raging battles between the parents, from which there was no escape.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)