LitPick Review
Leaving Glorytown: One Boy's Struggle Under Castro by Eduardo Calcines is a memoir about the author's experience as a child growing up under Communist rule in Cuba. When Eduardo was three-years-old, his life was turned upside down when Fidel Castro took over Cuba. His family was forced to survive on rations of horse meat that could barely keep alive a single prisoner, let alone a family. He was also forced to go to a Communist school that only taught about Russia and other Communists. Eduardo, however, finds strength in his friends and family. His family does not believe in Communism and applies for a Visa to move to the United States.
Opinion:
I really enjoyed this book. It gives an inside story about life in a Communist country. I also liked this book because it's a survival story. Eduardo was pushed to the limit both physically and mentally. One of the hardest times for him was when his dad was sent to a labor camp because his family applied for the Visa. Fortunately for Eduardo his family taught him how to be strong and how to get through this hard time. The only part I didn't like about this book was that it ended when Eduardo was on the plane going to Florida. I really wanted to know what life was like for him growing up in a new country with all the freedoms he dreamed of.
