The essential attractions of Jumping Off to Freedom are the daring escape across the sea and the evolution of the principal characters, but it is also plainly a book concerned with social issues. Cuba is the last communist regime in the New World. This makes Cuba of special interest to people interested in politics or the issues of human rights. Bernardo paints a bleak picture of a Stalinist state in which people have little say in what happens in their lives. The only freedom of choice available seems to be in criminality, and nearly everyone seems to be a criminal to some degree. Mothers buy food from illicit sources in order to feed their families; workers pillage carelessly stored goods. Toro has gained his reputation for fearlessness partly through bravado and partly through using his truck to make illegal shipments. He has gained a tiny degree...