Audiobook11 hours
Learning to Die in Miami: Confessions of a Refugee Boy
Written by Carlos M.N. Eire
Narrated by Robert Fass
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Carlos Eire's story of a boyhood uprooted by the Cuban Revolution quickly lures us in, as eleven-year-old Carlos and his older brother Tony touch down in the sun-dappled Miami of 1962-a place of daunting abundance where his old Cuban self must die to make way for a new, American self waiting to be born.
In this enchanting new work, narrated in Eire's inimitable and lyrical voice, young Carlos adjusts to life in his new country. He lives for a time in a Dickensian foster home, struggles to learn English, attends American schools, and confronts the age-old immigrant's plight: surrounded by the bounty of this rich land yet unable to partake. Carlos must learn to balance the divide between his past and present lives and find his way in this strange new world of gas stations, vending machines, and sprinkler systems.
Every bit as poignant, bittersweet, and humorous as his first memoir, Learning to Die in Miami is a moving personal saga, an elegy for a lost childhood and a vanished country, and a celebration of the spirit of renewal that America represents.
In this enchanting new work, narrated in Eire's inimitable and lyrical voice, young Carlos adjusts to life in his new country. He lives for a time in a Dickensian foster home, struggles to learn English, attends American schools, and confronts the age-old immigrant's plight: surrounded by the bounty of this rich land yet unable to partake. Carlos must learn to balance the divide between his past and present lives and find his way in this strange new world of gas stations, vending machines, and sprinkler systems.
Every bit as poignant, bittersweet, and humorous as his first memoir, Learning to Die in Miami is a moving personal saga, an elegy for a lost childhood and a vanished country, and a celebration of the spirit of renewal that America represents.
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They Flew: A History of the Impossible Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReformations: The Early Modern World, 1450-1650 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Waiting for Snow in Havana: Confessions of a Cuban Boy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
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Reviews for Learning to Die in Miami
Rating: 4.052631515789474 out of 5 stars
4/5
19 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Love the author storytelling Style. Everything so true! Enjoyed the introspective thoughts.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A follow-up to "Waiting for Snow in Havana", this book begins with Eire's arrival in Miami, At eleven years old, he is totally unprepared for the world in which he lands. Privileged, educated, raised to be polite, Carlos find life in a foster home, a group home, and eventually in the home of a distant uncle challenging at every level. One to love books, Carlos' approach to adjustment is very different than Tony's, his brother whose first impulse is to fight. In order to become American, Carlos becomes Charles, then Charlie, and finally Chuck. Cuba becomes farther away, but the values one learns as a young child can never be fully thrown aside. Language, school, customs, and friendships are all a challenge as Eire goes from a loving Jewish foster home to a cold, overcrowded group home filled with young Cuban boys of far different backgrounds. Eventually, he comes to the home of his uncle in Bloomington, Illinois and after years, his mother is able to join them, but they are far different than the young boys she sent away. Eire jumps from childhood to events in his adult life which were so influenced by those childhood experiences. Tony's life takes a much different route as he descends into alcoholism and violence. Hard work, incredible adjustment, and an unfailing sense of faith in something better sustain Carlos in this journey. At times, funny, and at other times very sad, this book is a view inside the mind of a young immigrant. Great writing and plenty of food for thought.