August 8, 2022
Centering one family’s harrowing experience, Gonzales (Invisible) sheds light on the Fidel Castro–ruled Cuba of 1980. Eleven-year-old Héctor knows that the only way to survive in Communist Cuba is to pretend to be a staunch Castro supporter—and to publicly renounce his father, who was imprisoned six years prior for speaking up about the country’s lack of freedoms. While trying to blend in, Héctor focuses on qualifying for this year’s International Math Olympiad, but the stain of his father’s actions threatens to hinder him. When the government opens the port of Mariel, making it possible for residents to leave Cuba, Héctor’s mother decides that the family will reunite with their father in Miami, where he was transferred via a political exchange, as soon as their exit visas come through. Héctor’s not interested in leaving, though, and his abuela, a powerful, Castro-supporting National Assembly delegate, vehemently opposes the act. Soon, word of the family’s plans to leave becomes public, and a crowd ambushes their house, leading to a tragedy that precedes further difficulties. Brimming with tumultuous events of Castro’s Cuba, Gonzales’s affecting socio-political novel balances historical traumas with empathy and hope, tackling timely themes of personal beliefs and individual versus government freedoms. Ages 10–up. Agent: Jennifer Rofé, Andrea Brown Literary.
August 1, 2022
Grades 5-7 The year is 1980 and sixth-grader H�ctor faces daily challenges growing up in Cuba under a repressive regime. His father, exiled to the U.S. for opposing the government, has been labeled a traitor. H�ctor and his family live each day as two versions of themselves--the private and the public--in order to survive under the communist government that demands utmost loyalty. By summer, H�ctor's attempts to juggle this duality come to a head when his mother announces they will try to flee Cuba for the U.S., leaving behind the only life they've ever known. The author creates an intimate portrait of family and the desire for freedom, told through H�ctor's point of view. Gonzalez draws on her own family's experience of the Mariel boatlift and intersperses Spanish phrases and words throughout. After a slow beginning, the pace picks up in the latter third, taking the reader through danger, betrayal, and heartbreak, including a bloody tragedy. This poignant story captures themes that remain timely and resonant today.
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Starred review from September 9, 2022
Gr 5-8-It's 1980, and speaking out against Fidel Castro's Communist regime sent H�ctor's father to prison and then to the United States, leaving H�ctor, his brother Rodrigo, and his mom under a shadow of suspicion. H�ctor's mother is planning on leaving Cuba and is ready to put her plan into action, but H�ctor is having trouble accepting that he has to abandon his home, friends, and school. His grandmother has always used her ties to the government to provide perks to their family. While H�ctor knows that she disagrees with them leaving, he doesn't fully grasp what his grandmother is willing to do to prevent them from doing so. As H�ctor enjoys what might be his last weeks with best friends, something happens that finally makes him comprehend what's at stake and the importance of family. H�ctor, Rodrigo, and their mom face incredible and life-changing challenges as they make decisions that impact their survival. This poignant novel immerses readers into the era and presents a unique and much-needed viewpoint. Diaz Gonzalez's writing is impeccable, and themes of grief, loss, and heartbreak are made palpable through her storytelling. This moving historical novel provides a window into a moment not often represented in children's books. VERDICT A heartrending exploration of friendship, family, and freedom set against volatile times. Highly recommended for middle grade shelves.-Selenia Paz
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Starred review from August 1, 2022
A sixth grader struggles with leaving the life he knows under Cuba's oppressive communist regime. In 1980, the Cuban government opened the port of Mariel, permitting those who could obtain visas and arrange for boat passage to emigrate. When H�ctor was 5, his father was jailed for speaking out about the lack of freedom in Cuba; recently he was sent to the U.S. as part of a political exchange. But when his mother floats the possibility of reuniting with his father in Miami, H�ctor doesn't want to go. Despite the toll of living with constant fear and the uncomfortable need to keep up public appearance of support for Fidel Castro's repressive policies, H�ctor is ambivalent about leaving. He's a math whiz on track to represent Cuba at the International Math Olympiad and wants to remain close to his friends and Abuela--whose status as a delegate to Cuba's National Assembly enables her to confer privileges on H�ctor's family, from Swiss chocolate to supplies beyond the meager government rations afforded everyone else. But everything changes when a betrayal leads to an act of repudiation in which a mob of neighbors go to H�ctor's house to accuse the family of being gusanos, or traitors. Following a tragedy, nothing is left for H�ctor and his family but to painfully wait for their exit visas. What comes next is a suspenseful, emotional quest for freedom, fraught with danger and deception, that will keep pages turning. Heartbreaking, riveting, beautifully written. (Historical fiction. 10-13)
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