Narrated by Kyla Garcia. Fidel Castro's revolution is rising but Lucia's father wants no part of it. Several of Lucia's friends are getting involved in the Youth Brigade but Luica isn't allowed to participate. Lucia witnesses unwelcome changes in her community such as school closures, soldiers in the streets, and seeing the grocer's body hanging from a tree. As pressures mount, Lucia's parents announce that they are sending her and younger brother Frankie to the United States until things in Cuba improve. Lucia and Frankie end up in Nebraska living with the Baxters, a farming couple. Sporadic phone conversations with her parents sustain Lucia as she learns English, navigates American culture and high school, and makes friends. Narrator Garcia portrays a Lucia who is resilient with grace and is particularly effective voicing Mrs. Baxter's Wisconsin accent. ( )

From 1961 to 1962, Lucía changes swiftly from a young Cuban girl who is interested in fashion, makeup, and boys and doesn't understand the problems within la revolución, to a girl responsible for her little brother in a foreign country. Lucía's parents see where their country is headed and send Lucía and Frankie to the U.S. as part of Operation Pedro Pan: the siblings are sent first to a Catholic facility where boys and girls are separated, then to a family in Nebraska.

See also: A Place to Belong by Joan Lowery Nixon, Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

Quotes

"From now on, we have to expect the worst and hope for the best....We can't count on anyone, anymore." (Papá, 101) ( )

Why hasn’t this topic been covered more for the older kid/teen crowd? I absolutely adored this debut and immediately went searching for books involving Castro’s Cuba and Operation Pedro Pan, but I have found…sigh…two others. Yep. (Leaving Glorytown and Jumping off to Freedom, the former looking far more compelling; also, Countdown deals with the American side of the Cuban Missile Crisis.) This era is so highly charged politically and emotionally, it truly baffles me that it has been largely left untouched, especially now that enough time has passed. Anyhow.

What’s so great about The Red Umbrella? We get to see the intensity surrounding the rapid change Cuba went through in the communist takeover. Every chapter begins with a headline from a U.S. newspaper (which includes the date), and so we see how, on a daily basis, Lucia’s world spirals out of control starting from the time her school is temporarily closed to accommodate the new regime. The book spans almost a year, yet half of the book is devoted to just over a month’s worth of activity. The American headlines continue as chapter headings when Lucia and Frankie flee to the United States, which made me pause to think for a minute: Maybe it would be more effective if Gonzalez used Cuban headlines for this switch? Or maybe the focus should be exclusively on headlines of the U.S.’s efforts in dealing with Cuba? However, I soon realized the continuation to report the events in Cuba (albeit sometimes vague) served as both a reflection of Lucia’s efforts and interest in scouring the newspaper both to acquire language and news of her country as well as a way to demonstrate the drastic difference between Cuba and the U.S—what Lucia had managed to escape.

Lucia serves as a strong main character—we see her develop from her naïveté in coping with the devastating changes imposed by the new regime upon her country, friends, and family. Even though the years are 1961-62 and include enough popular culture and technological references/items in line with the era, Lucia’s experiences as a 14- and 15-year-old girl are absolutely sympathetic. She deals with losing friends and making them; standing up to aggressive boys as well as sweet ones; coping with the expectations of her parents for being a teenage girl; and making up her own mind on important political and social issues. On top of everything, Lucia, of course, must learn how to use the English language, and Gonzalez incorporates a fairly substantial amount of Spanish vocabulary (accompanied by a glossary) in the dialogue.

Once Lucia and Frankie were placed with the Baxters in Nebraska, I thought perhaps the story might slow down since they were so far removed geographically from the conflict; however, it only becomes more heart wrenching. I was incredibly moved by how Gonzalez handled the communication between Lucia and her parents and Ivette. I found myself holding my breath waiting for the phone line to connect. I was equally distressed by the gradual dissolution of Lucia’s friendship with Ivette due to Ivette’s allegiance to Castro (and thus, rejection of Lucia “choosing” to live in capitalist America) as written in her letters.

Lucia’s journey as a refugee is unique and compelling, and thankfully sheds light on a crucial point in American and world history barely covered by other juvenile memoir and historical fiction. My library has cataloged The Red Umbrella as YA, but I think it could be used with mature children as early as the upper grades of elementary school. ( )

This is the story of girl who has to evacuate Cuba when Castro took over the country. She comes to the U.S. Her parents were not allowed to leave the country so she has to live with a host family. They don't understand Spanish or some of her customs. She has to try to go to school and fit in. She misses her country from before and her parents. I haven't read a book from a Cuban refugee's POV before. I found it interesting. Also, I liked the little details like how they expected them to eat spicy Mexican food which is totally different from Cuban food (not spicy). ( )

Great book! And Kyla Garcia's narration was wonderful. The main thing holding me back from giving it 5* is the happy ending. I liked it but think it might have been more realistic, if more tragic, if the family hadn't been reunited. ( )