Christina Gonzalez – The Red Umbrella

Start: Jun 16 2010 7:30 pm

Settle in for a journey that will feel like your family’s own story, no matter where you come from, with local author Christina Gonzalez and her widely acclaimed debut YA book – The Red Umbrella (Knopf, $16.99) . In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution in Cuba, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched. As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own as apart Operation Pedro Pan. Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl? The Red Umbrella is a moving story of country, culture, family, and the true meaning of home.