Showing results by author "Betty Viamontes" in All Categories

Teresa Piñeiro knew no fear. In 1960, pregnant, thirty-one-year-old Teresa Piñeiro, along with a group of men, appears in the local newspaper after she is arrested for trying to hijack an airplane to Miami. The daughter of a retired first lieutenant and professor of the Army and the granddaughter of one of the trailblazing Spanish families who established the town of La Palma in western Cuba, Teresa finds herself in a maximum-security prison where she confronts the Comandante en Jefe, Fidel Castro. Now, four generations of Teresa’s family—her mother, her blind grandmother, her ten-...

As the winds of revolution blow through Cuba, Laura Ocampo, a restless university student, defies her upbringing and becomes a supporter of Fidel Castro's rebels. When the hated Batista flees the country, she joins the thousands pouring into the streets to cheer as the bearded rebels, in the backs of trucks, roll into Havana in victory.

“Se ha dicho muchas veces que la realidad supera la ficción. Es una frase tan manida que ha comenzado a caer en desuso. Sin embargo, hay libros que justifican su empleo. Este es el caso de Esperando en la calle Zapote, de la escritora cubanoamericana Betty Viamontes, quien se sintió obligada a escribir en su contraportada, a modo de advertencia, estas palabras: ‘Este libro está basado en una historia de la vida real’. Aunque quizás, para preparar aún más al lector, pudo haber agregado: ‘Es la historia de mi propia familia; la misma que mi madre, justo antes de morir, me pidió...

En abril de 1980, una familia es despertada abruptamente por fuertes golpes y gritos en su puerta. Los militares han venido por ellos. Es la época del éxodo del Mariel en La Habana, Cuba. No toda la familia podrá emprender este viaje rumbo a la tierra de la libertad. Dos hermanas, que han sido inseparables y compartido la misma casa en la calle Zapote, son separadas repentinamente. Una de ellas, Laura, se irá junto con sus tres hijos para reunirse con su esposo tras doce años de separación forzosa. La otra, Berta, se ha quedado junto a Antonio, su esposo, y sus hijas, puesto que no se...

“Once again, Betty Viamontes achieves storytelling magic in this historical account based on true events.” ―Susana Jiménez-Mueller, international podcaster and creator of The Green Plantain – The Cuban Series Project and author of Now I Swim. In 1994, tormented by the guilt of abandoning those they loved and fearing for their lives, Jorge and Andrés head toward the Florida Straits on unseaworthy rafts. It is the middle of hurricane season, but staying in Cuba is no longer an option. While the world watches, their decisions plunge them into the middle of an international conflict ...

From the author of "Waiting on Zapote Street." "'The Dance of the Rose' is an exciting novel where the author, Betty Viamontes, recreates the moments that a Cuban family encounters, from the breakup of a marriage, forced to endure twelve years of separation -the husband in the United States and the wife with three young children in Cuba, holding the illusion of reunion in the face of continuous adversity. This novel describes the reunion of the family and the efforts of the mother to overcome the estrangement, the distance between the children and the father -and herself and her husband- ...

In 1961, Olivia and Clarisa become part of an exodus that brings over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children to the United States: Operation Pedro Pan. What should have been a short separation will mark the transformation of their lives. Fifty-five years later, they go back to Cuba. Will they find the closure they so desperately seek?

Teresa Piñeiro no conocía el miedo. En 1960, con treinta y un años y embarazada, su nombre y foto aparecen en el periódico local, junto a los de seis hombres. Fueron arrestados por intentar secuestrar un avión con la intención de desviar su rumbo hacia Miami. Poco después, Teresa, la hija de un general retirado y nieta de una de las familias españolas pioneras que establecieron el pueblo La Palma al oeste de Cuba, se enfrenta al Comandante en Jefe, Fidel Castro, en una prisión de máxima seguridad adonde es llevada. De repente, cuatro generaciones de la familia: su abuela ciega, su...

Desde que Joel Camacho era un niño, sabía que no quería quedarse en Cuba. Sus estudios de medicina se convierten en su boleto de salida hacia Venezuela como parte de una misión médica. Pero sus experiencias en Venezuela lo conllevan a un elaborado laberinto de esclavitud moderna, bandidos, corrupción y tráfico humano del que se debe escapar. Para él existe solo una salida. Tratar de alcanzarla se convierte en el desafío más difícil de su vida. *** A pesar de los horrores, Cruzando hacia el norte es en última instancia una historia de amor y familia. Sus personajes son ...

***Winner of the ILBA Mimi Lozano Best Family History Book, and from the author of the award-winning "Waiting on Zapote Street" and "Brothers: A Pedro Pan Story." Betty Viamontes, a multi-award-winning author, is celebrated for her honest and authentic storytelling that captivates readers from the first page. Her works, often rooted in true stories, are renowned for their engaging narratives. ________________ In April 1980, a family is abruptly awakened by loud banging and screaming at their door. Government officials have come for them to drive them to the Port of Mariel in Havana, where a...

From the author of the award-winning Waiting on Zapote Street comes a story based on true events. In 1960’s central Cuba, a young middle-class woman’s life is interrupted as she finds herself a victim in what will quickly become a hurricane of world politics and idealistic dogma. *** “Betty Viamontes’s books are not intended to be classic literature. Instead they are deliberately simple, about real people caught in an historical cataclysm. Like most holocaust memoirs, their strength lies in their simplicity. Ms. Viamontes tells a simple story of normal people, allowing the reader's ...

Escrita por la autora de la galardonada novela Esperando en la calle Zapote, describe a los lectores una historia basada en hechos reales.En la Cuba de los años 60, se frena la vida de una joven de clase media cuando es víctima de lo que rápidamente se convertiría en huracán del dogma idealista y de la política mundial.«Los libros de Betty Viamontes no pretenden ser libros de la literatura clásica. Al contrario, son deliberadamente simples, sobre personas reales atrapadas en un cataclismo histórico. Como la mayoría de las memorias del holocausto, su fuerza reside en su simplicidad...

"Una vez más, Betty Viamontes logra la magia narrativa en este relato histórico basado en hechos reales." ―Susana Jiménez-Mueller, podcaster internacional y creadora de The Green Plantain – The Cuban Series Project y autora de Now I Swim. En 1994, atormentados por la culpabilidad de haber abandonado a sus seres queridos y temiendo por sus vidas, Jorge y Andrés se dirigen hacia el Estrecho de la Florida en balsas no aptas para la navegación. Se encuentran en plena temporada de huracanes, pero el quedarse en Cuba no es una opción. Ante los ojos del mundo, sus decisiones los sumergen...

“A story that encompasses a lifetime. It is rich in imagery and sometimes light and funny, despite the seriousness of the backdrop of a Cuba still in chains.” Susana Jiménez-Mueller, international podcaster of The Green Plantain – The Cuban Series Project and author of Now I Swim. “An amazing story that spans decades. It takes readers on a roller coaster ride of highs and lows and keeps them wanting to know what's around the corner. Then, when the ride seems to end, there's one last surprise waiting.” Conchita Hernández Hicks, author of Leaving Havana. An engrossing tale, funny ...

Las niñas de Pedro Pan, escrita por la autora de la galardonada novela Esperando en la calle Zapote, describe a los lectores una historia basada en hechos reales. En la Cuba de los años 60, Olivia y Clarisa son parte de la Operación Pedro Pan, un éxodo que trae a los Estados Unidos a más de 14,000 niños solos. Lo que debería haber sido una breve separación marcará y transformará sus vidas. Cincuenta y cinco años después, regresan a Cuba. ¿Encontrarán el cierre que buscan tan desesperadamente? ¿Lograrán reconciliarse con su pasado?«Los libros de Betty Viamontes no pretenden ...

From the award-winning author of "Waiting on Zapote Street," winner of the Latino Books Into Movies award. This epic tale, based on true events, transports readers to the province of Camagüey, in the Cuban heartland. In 1955, the seeds of Castro's revolution will lead a small town’s inhabitants to witness a radical change to their customs and their way of life. The town, Arroyo Blanco (White Creek), known for the creeks that run through its core, filling it with life, is destined to be erased by time and politics. Madeline, a young girl swept up by political and social upheaval struggles...

"Una historia que abarca toda una vida. Es rica en imágenes y, a veces, es ligera y divertida, a pesar de la seriedad del telón de fondo de una Cuba todavía encadenada". Susana Jiménez-Mueller, podcaster internacional de Cuban Stories on The Green Plantain y autora de Now I Swim. Una historia fascinante, divertida e inspiradora, sobre la familia, la rivalidad entre hermanos y el amor. En 1966, a los quince años, Milagros, tímida, pero extraordinariamente talentosa y llena de sueños, se convierte en la pianista de una banda de establecidos músicos en La Habana. Su jornada la lleva a ...

"Las narraciones de Betty Viamontes, son como el arca de Noé, recogen todos los «especímenes» para con-servar a la posterioridad, el perfil de un pueblo lanzado a un destino incierto."

Betty Viamontes, MBA is a novelist, entrepreneur, and finance administrator with over thirty years of management experience at medium or large healthcare organizations. She is a regular speaker at universities and professional conferences and an expert on time management. She has served as chair and vice chair of the FICPA Healthcare Conference Committee and was a member of one of the FICPA education committees. After speaking often about the subject of time management and written two successful novels and a book of short stories, she has decided to utilize her story-telling skills and ...

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. *** 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 ...