Jumping Off to Freedom - Softcover

Bernardo, Anilu

3.47

17 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1558850880 ISBN 13: 9781558850880

Publisher: Arte Publico Press, 1996

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Father and son are pitted against danger as they join thousands of balseros leaving Cuba on homemade rafts in search of a better life in the United States.

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From the Publisher:

Included in the Houston Area Independent School Library Network (HAISLN) Recommended Reading List for 1999. Selected by the New York Public Library for inclusion in the 1997 Books for the Teen Age, and nominated to the ALA's Annual List of Recommended Reading for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Quick Picks 1997.

From Booklist:

Gr. 7^-10. Tired of living in deprivation and fear in Cuba, David's father, Miguel, takes the bold step of building a raft and secretly setting off on a perilous journey to Florida with his teenage son and another escapee, Luis, who helps with the raft preparation. From the moment of their departure--when an unexpected fourth passenger, Toro, bullies his way aboard--until they sight U.S. land many days later, disaster looms or strikes in one form or another: the border guard, sharks, a ferocious storm that devastates their food rations, Miguel's physical breakdown, Luis' mental breakdown, and a potential rescue ship that spurns the hapless rafters. David and Toro barely maintain enough strength to skipper the raft to safety, their deep mutual mistrust gradually breaking down as they learn to depend on each other by the end. The writing style may be as choppy as the sea at times, and readers may wonder about these boat people's seamless arrival in the Florida Keys, but survival-story fans and readers looking for breathtaking action will not be disappointed. Anne O'Malley

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