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Blessed by Thunder: Memoir of a Cuban Girlhood | 
 enlarge | Author: Flor Fernandez-barrios
Publisher: Seal Press (CA)
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $1.78
You Save: $13.17 (88%)
New (3) Used (28) from $1.78
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 1067870
Media: Paperback
Pages: 264
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 0.7
ISBN: 1580050425
Dewey Decimal Number: 920
EAN: 9781580050425
ASIN: 1580050425
Publication Date: August 31, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Very good ex library book..........light wear and circulation........as titled........next day shipping in a bubble mailer
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Amazon.com Review
On the surface, this beautifully written memoir is riveting simply because it revolves around a young girl growing up in Cuba during the Communist revolution. When Flor Fernandez Barrios's parents consider fleeing Castro's regime, they are labeled gusanos, or traitors. Neighbors shame and taunt them. At the age of 10, Barrios is sent away along with thousands of other children to a work camp, where she is forced into hard labor, picking tobacco and sugar cane to offset the U.S. embargo. Barrios could have relied upon the dramatic details of her life in Cuba to make this memoir fascinating. But instead she dared to mine the depths of the cultural and spiritual story beneath the surface. Like Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits, this is a tale of magic, spirits, and family devotion. Throughout her childhood, Barrios's mystical grandmothers, as well as her Afro-Cuban nanny, teach her the names and stories of their indigenous spirits, and their secret spells of healing. It is these Cuban spirits who thunder and comfort Barrios during her shameful punishments at work camp. Years later, the memories of her Cuban mentors and healing spirits help the exiled Barrios find her place in a new country. This is a highly recommended story of Cuban life, spiritual heritage, and human fortitude. --Gail Hudson
Product Description
Born in Cuba in the 1950s, the author was a child when revolution swept her homeland and Fidel Castro came to power. While her family suffered injustice and austerity after their plantation was seized, her grandmother and Afro-Cuban nanny remained strong. They taught her the healing wisdom of curanderismo and the magical beliefs of Santeria. This memoir offers a heartfelt view of Cuba's history and culture.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...
Powerful beyond measure. February 9, 2006
A. Brassert (Toronto, Ontario)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Thank you, Flor, for sharing your story. You came through your experiences as a child with such grace and strength. Your descriptions of people and events made each come alive for me as a reader; I felt as though I was there with you at times. I gave copies of your book to all of my closest friends and my husband in the hopes that they too might take the journey through all of the stories told and emotions felt and shared.
WOW! Well done!!! August 21, 2005
M. Rashid
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
As I read on, I felt as though it was MY OWN story! I, too came from Cuba at 15 and being the author's age went through most of the same experiences. It's about time that we put it out there for non Cuban-Americans to know. There is NOTHING fun, romantic or exotic about Cuba. Castro's is a bloody dictatorship that destroys human beings! I admire the author for her courage. She has inspired me to some day tell my own story.
Marina, Pembroke Pines, Florida
Excellent! July 27, 2005
Coco Ohio (Oakland, CA)
The stories in Cuba were amazing. I was transported to Cuba and was right there observing the island, the people, the food, the smells, the conversations, the textures, the pain, the joy, etc.
There were so many times that I had to put the book down because I could not go any further in my emotional state. I even experienced my spirit stronger than I ever have while reading a certain passage. Thank you. It would be nice to know where you are now with your spirituality. Maybe that will be the follow-up book!
Bless you, mom and dad August 29, 2001
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I thank God daily for the decision my parents made when sending me alone out of Cuba . Since my parents thought that they could say they were going on vacation, they had also packed to leave with me but the militia was too wise for that and held my mom's and dad's visa at the docks since they had not left everything to the government.At the precise moment they decided to send me alone (8-05-61)on the last cargo ferry that left Havana with sugar,under the care of Pedro Pan Operation. I was starting fourth grade that September of 1961 and I would have gone through the same ordeal Teresa went through. I admire Flor Teresa for the loyalty to her parents and family, for her courage of making the best of the moment and for her maturity at such young age. I believe that young as well as old will get teachings from this book. Teachingsof survival, of meeting with your goals, of distinguishing what is right from what is wrong and of giving a value to the simple things in life. As an adult Flor Teresa must be an extraordinary human being.
Well Done August 1, 2001
The book was a smooth read. Ms. Fernandez-Barrios made me feel apart of her. Her memoir was so vivid. She connected herself to all the ancestrial roots of Cuba. She is an excellent writer. I would love to see more literature by this author.
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