The Red Umbrella Audiobook By Christina Diaz Gonzalez cover art

The Red Umbrella

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The Red Umbrella

By: Christina Diaz Gonzalez
Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
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The Red Umbrella is a moving tale of a 14-year-old girl's journey from Cuba to America as part of Operation Pedro Pan - an organized exodus of more than 14,000 unaccompanied children, whose parents sent them away to escape Fidel Castro's revolution.

In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. And soon, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States - on their own. Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl? The Red Umbrella is a touching story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home.

©2011 Christina Diaz Gonzalez (P)2016 Ideal Audiobooks Family Life Growing Up & Facts of Life Historical Fiction Latin American Literature & Fiction Multicultural Stories Tearjerking

Critic reviews

"Debut author Gonzalez excels at highlighting the cultural difficulties...memorable heroine and supporting cast offer a moving portrait of resilience and reinvention." ( Publishers Weekly)

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I love the voice and the story, the story taught me a lot of things and help me with my book reports, this story was wonderful

the overall story

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great book that helps youth understand what happened during that time frame in terms they can understand.

excellent book

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I’m so glad that my daughter had to read this book in school. I’ve heard a version of this story from my Cuban friends, and this paints the picture so eloquently for children and preteens. This book was beautifully written and should be required reading in Miami-Dade county.

Touching and true

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I don’t normally write reviews, but I enjoyed this story immensely. And the narrator’s performance was superb (and I’m picky about that). Highly recommend. I hope this author and narrator will do more!

Excellent!!

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I really enjoyed the narrated version of this book. it was well detailed and well-balanced. great read and great voicing.

great bicultural book for teens and adults

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The narrator made me feel every passage! I really enjoyed the story and listened to it.

Beautiful story that brings all our emotions!

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The book overall good like the voice and the story that is was based on.

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My teenage son was assigned this book for summer reading and enjoyed it so much that he insisted I read it. This book is simply amazing. You will not be sorry that you read it.

What an amazing read!

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This book is a must if you live in South Florida. It shows the struggle that the Cuban families endured at the beginning of the communist regimen. It also highlights operation "pedro pan" and how young children were sent to the USA by their Cuban families to escape the regimen. Mind blowing book.

amazing!

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The Red Umbrella presents the reality of socialist communism within a beautifully told coming-of-age story. I highly recommend this book to young adults for a clear picture of the freedom found in America vs. the servitude inflicted on those who live in communist countries. In addition, the narrator does a masterful job of conveying both the emotions and the accents of the various characters. Well done!

True to Life

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