The opening events of Jumping Off to Freedom begin in Cuba with David's arrest. David, his family, and his girl friend Elena live in a society in which a "groundless suspicion by the neighborhood committee or a neighbor's envy were enough to earn a report and a swift trip to the local detention center." Fear of the government is part of everyday life and underlies much of people's behavior. Whether they are doing something as fundamental to ordinary life as trying to find food for their families or whether they are trying to do something as foolhardy as escape the island by boat, people try to hide what they are doing not only from the government but from friends and neighbors—anyone could be a government spy—and even putting some meat on the table could be cause for investigation.

David's family, friends, and neighbors are...