I have to
admit that I first approached this
book not so much by thinking of its
potential but rather by thinking of
the books I've enjoyed by Cuban
Americans writing about their
migration to the U.S. Books
like Waiting for Snow in
Havana came to mind. and with those
thoughts came this bit of doubt that
this book couldn't have much more to
offer than what has already been
published. It didn't take long
for me to realize that I was wrong.
By the time I finished reading
Finding Maņana,
I had come to the conclusion that it
was the best book written on the
Mariel Boatlift, period.
Ojito's well-researched book
recounts her family's tense days
leading up to the moment that they
left Cuba as part of what would
become an historical mass exodus to
the U.S. She takes us back to
her schooldays, providing a sense of
what it was like to be part of a
family that was no supporter of
Castro and what it was like to be
ostracized for those very same
reasons. Educators documented
the family's suspicious apathy
toward the Cuban government and as a
result, Ojito found that her
opportunities in school were
limited. Yet as a teenager,
she felt a love-hate relationship
with Cuba that didn't make it easy
for her to leave.
As Ojito retells her family's
tale, she brings to life a whole
cast of characters who were involved
in one way or other, directly or
otherwise, with her family's exit
from the island. These
individuals include Hector Saniustiz,
the driver of the bus that slammed
into the Peruvian embassy in Cuba
and whose actions started a complex
domino effect that ended with
President Carter's decision to allow
what would be 125,000 Cubans to
enter the U.S. She also
provides an intriguing portrait of
Ernesto Pinto, the diplomat in
charge of the Peruvian embassy,
whose rational mind helped keep a
very volatile situation under some
control. Reminding us that her
voyage was in part luck, in part
determination, she also describes
the role of Captain Mike Howell, one
of the many American heroes who
sacrificed their lives in efforts to
bring Cubans to the U.S. in what
were often challenging maritime
conditions, in boats that were
barely salvageable. She also
provides a touching portrayal of
Bernardo Benes, the man who was
responsible for negotiating with
Castro and his government for the
release of political prisoners in
Cuba, and the man who ironically
would wind up being ostracized for
his role in the Mariel Boatlift.
It's hard to imagine why any
professor of Latin American history
would not use this book in his or
her course. Pulitzer
Prizewinning journalist, Ojito knows
how to tell a story. But more
than that, she has a way of bringing
history to life. She reminds
us that events like the Mariel
Boatlift may have resulted in the
arrival of thousands upon thousands
of people, but behind those events
are individuals whose actions and
emotions are very real and are part
of a history that cannot be ignored
or easily forgotten.
Finding Maņana
is guaranteed to make you think of
the Mariel Boatlift in ways you
hadn't imagined.