Official Review: Growing up American: A Novel

[Caroline Anne Richmond]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Growing up American: A Novel" by Rafael Polo.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Growing up American: A Novel by Rafael Polo is a non-fiction story of Marco, a Cuban immigrant boy who emigrated to the USA with the help of the Peter Pan project. This project was organized by the Catholic Church and the Cuban state department and enabled unaccompanied children to travel to the USA without a visa requirement. The children could be relocated to family members already in the USA, sent to a catholic orphanage or settled with an American family. Fourteen thousand children moved to the USA between 1960 and 1962, as parents made the ultimate sacrifice to send their children away to save them from a life in Cuba ruled by Fidel Castro and his totalitarian dictatorship.

Life would never be the same for Marco after 1959, as for almost three years Castro waged a guerrilla led war against the government of Fulgencio Batista. Castro and his rebels defeated Batista and marched to Havana and implemented Marxist law. Marxism soon destroyed pleasant neighborhoods, friendships were lost, and quality of life diminished. Anyone found to be a counterrevolutionary was captured and killed by a firing squad. Castro believed it was very important to indoctrinate children with Marxism, and so all school education taught its principals. Marco’s parents took him out of school and began the long process of sending him to America to live with his aunt and uncle. Marco was eleven years old when he took his journey. Nine months later, his parents took the same journey and joined him in the USA. The book describes Marco’s journey to adapting to America, embracing its opportunities, and becoming a proud citizen whilst still accepting his Cuban heritage.

The author captured how heartbreaking it must have been for Marco to leave his home and family at such a young age. As a young boy, he is given the choice by his father whether to stay in a country led by a Marxist government or go to America where he will have freedom, choices, and education. I realized how painful it must have been for his parents to encourage their son to leave, and how that the love for their son pushes them to ask him to do something that will cause them pain. The author captured the emotions of Marco when he leaves on the aeroplane, describing how he felt torn away from his family, friends and home, and how lonely and overwhelmed he felt making the journey alone.

Marco’s journey through schools and colleges was very interesting. I enjoyed reading about his initial struggles with his studying, and how guardian angels in the form of humans helped him along the way. It must have been very difficult adapting to a new country and language at this age, not to mention making new friends when you feel like the odd one out. His personal growth was excellent to read, and how he got through periods of depression and grief. One of my favorite parts of the book is the descriptions of his year spent studying in Madrid. I loved the descriptions of the sights and culture, such as his trip to Santiago De Compostela and the explanation of the Camino de Santiago, and how many pilgrims follow this route as a form of a spiritual path. It is always a welcome addition to learn about another culture in a book.

The book is quite short and fast-paced, providing a lot of detail and explanation of Marco’s life. I felt it provided great messages about how hard work, perseverance and taking opportunities is the key to success. These attributes, however, wouldn’t make any difference in a country ruled by Marxism. The differences in quality of life between the USA and Cuba were very insightful, and it is easy to understand how many people sent their children away to pursue a better life.

The only part of the book I didn’t find as engaging was a portion debating Marxism, socialism and progressivism. Although the discussion was informative, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the rest of the book. The other issue I found was that there was quite a lot of spelling and grammatical errors, so the book could benefit from another round of editing. Because of these points, I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I enjoyed reading about Marco’s journey from Cuba to the USA, and the historical and cultural education the book provided. The book didn’t contain any profanity or sexual themes, and is suitable for adults and young adults who enjoy interesting memoirs, including history and politics.

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Growing up American: A Novel
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[Victoria Copsey]

This sounds like an intriguing read. Your review is very detailed and wellwritten, I enjoyed reading it.

[Caroline Anne Richmond]

This sounds like an intriguing read. Your review is very detailed and wellwritten, I enjoyed reading it.

It is a really interesting book! Thank you for your kind comments.

[Excel 2021]

Very interesting tale. It's never easy to allow your child to live with another family, let alone with done whom you don't even know. But that's the sacrifice parents make to ensure a better tomorrow for their kids. Great review

[Caroline Anne Richmond]

Very interesting tale. It's never easy to allow your child to live with another family, let alone with done whom you don't even know. But that's the sacrifice parents make to ensure a better tomorrow for their kids. Great review

Thanks for your kind comments. Yes it is the ultimate sacrifice that a parent can do to ensure a brighter future.