In 1962, in a program known as Operation Pedro Pan, 14,000 Cuban children left their homeland and came to the United States, alone, as refugees. The United States government helped settle these children with family members, friends and in foster homes in Miami and other areas of the country. Carlos Eire, now a professor of history at Yale, was one of these children. He first wrote about his story in the memoir Waiting for Snow in Havana, which vividly recalled his life as a son of privilege in Cuba and the hard life that followed in the United States. His latest memoir, Learning to Die in Miami, focuses squarely on Eire's experience from the moment he and his brother arrive in Miami until his mother joins them in the United States years later. Eire struggles with the Cuban part of himself, trying to kill it off so he can be fully American, but also doesn't want to completely lose that part of himself. This is a good companion book to Waiting for Snow in Havana but may also be enjoyed on its own.

If this sparks your interest, you may want to learn more about Operation Pedro Pan and its background. You can start with these library materials.