Margarita Engle

Engle is the author and main character of these poems. The poems describe Engle’s life as a Cuban-American up until she is 14 years old. Engle is the daughter of a Cuban mother and an American father. Her family lives in various places in California as her father makes a living teaching art. Engle describes two different visits that she and her family make to Cuba. She visited the island once when she was a small child and again when she is nine.

From her home in the United States, Engle experiences the revolution in Cuba as well as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Engle describes her fear and despair during the Cuban Missile Crisis as well as her feelings of hopelessness when relations break down between Cuba and the United States. She sees her mother’s fear for her relatives when the Cuban borders are closed...