Crossing North: Tribulations of a Cuban Doctor

Written by Betty Viamontes

Narrated by Susana Jiménez-Mueller

Since Joel Camacho was a child, he knew he didn’t want to stay in Cuba. Becoming a medical doctor turns into his ticket out. But it also propels him into an elaborate labyrinth of modern-day slavery, gangs, corruption, and international human trafficking from which he must escape. For him, there is only one haven. Trying to reach it becomes the most difficult challenge of his life.

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Despite the horrors, Crossing North is ultimately a tale of love and family. Its characters are strikingly familiar. They are parents and children like our own, clinging to each other while their world falls apart. Their lives, struggles, and deaths are a lesson and a caution for the modern world.

Allen A. Witt PhD, Lead Author of America’s Community College: The First Century

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About the author:

Betty Viamontes was born in Havana, Cuba. At age fifteen, Betty and her family crossed the Florida Straits in an overcrowded shrimp boat on a stormy night when many families perished. This trip would reunite the family with Betty’s father in the United States after almost twelve years of separation. Upon the death of her mother and Betty’s completion of graduate studies at the University of South Florida, to honor her mother, Betty has dedicated her life to capturing the stories of people without a voice. Her stories have traveled the world, from the award-winning novels Waiting on Zapote Street and Brothers: A Pedro Pan Story to the No. 1 new releases The Girl from White Creek and A Girl Named Polina.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zapote Street Books, LLC
• Release date: Feb 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781955848206

Betty Viamontes

Betty Viamontes was born in Havana, Cuba. In 1980, at age fifteen, she and her family arrived in the United States on a shrimp boat to reunite with her father after twelve years of separation. "Waiting on Zapote Street," based on her family's story, her first novel won the Latino Books into Movies award and has been selected by many book clubs. She also published an anthology of short stories, all of which take place on Zapote Street and include some of the characters from her first novel. Betty's stories have traveled the world, from the award-winning Waiting on Zapote Street to the No. 1 New Amazon re-leases "The Girl from White Creek," "The Pedro Pan Girls: Seeking Closure," and "Brothers: A Pedro Pan Story." Other works include: Havana: A Son's Journey Home The Dance of the Rose Under the Palm Trees: Surviving Labor Camps in Cuba Candela's Secrets and Other Havana Stories The Pedro Pan Girls: Seeking Closure Love Letters from Cuba Flight of the Tocororo Betty Viamontes lives in Florida with her family and pursued graduate studies at the University of South Florida.