I honestly don't get why this book has received so much critical acclaim. The subject matter was very interesting, yes, (I didn't know Jewish refugees from the Holocaust were turned away from New York harbors and sent to Cuba) but the writing was not what I would call top-notch, especially for poetry. The voices of the different characters were not distinct. It didn't strike me as especially beautiful or moving. In fact, one of the first stanzas made me cringe:

"My parents are musicians--/poor people, not rich." (p. 6)

Really? Isn't "not rich" what "poor" means? I know I'm getting all up on my high horse here, but poetry should be precise. There should be no wasted words. The ability to fit so much meaning into so few words is what sets poetry apart and makes it great. Sadly, this book read like flowery prose with shortened lines. ( )

A series of ctional poems tells a lesser-known story of the Holocaust. rough verse, the reader is introduced to a group of refugees who, refused entry to the United States, land in Cuba and start a new life.

RGG: Fine, but too brief for the complexity of the events, personalities. Reading Interest: 10-14

Narrated by four readers. Here's a book about an aspect of WWII history I hadn't heard about: Jewish refugees in Cuba. During the war Cuba took in 60,000 refugees, more than any other Latin American country and about as much as the United States. This poetry novel is told through four perspectives, the main one being Daniel, a 12-year-old boy sent off on the boat because his parents could only afford one passage. David is an older Ukraine Jew who sells ice cream and has lived in Cuba for decades. Young Paloma secretly assists the Quakers with the refugees, unbeknownst to her father, El Gordo, who profits from selling entry visas to the Jews. An intriguing story for what it means to be to be free. ( )