Book Review: Concrete Wings by Beverly Gandara

Release Date: March 11, 2016
Publisher: Beverly Gandara
Format: Kindle
Pages: 304 pages
Genre: Fiction
Buy: Kindle | Paperback


Synopsis: 

A naïve teen sent out of Cuba to retrieve smuggled family jewels on the eve of the Bay of Pigs invasion comes of age in New York City at the height of the sexual revolution and earns his political and economic freedom. By a twist of fate, he begins to lose his liberty when his oppressive parents arrive and refuse to assimilate into American Society. Take the journey and discover why success isn’t always measured by what one becomes, but often by what one overcomes.

Review: 


The cover of this book threw me off and I wasn't sure if I was going to like it but from page 1 I was hooked.  I felt like I was reading a biography not fiction.  I was completely sucked into Julian's life.  How life was in Cuba before Castro and what happened to it and the people afterwards.  The history in this book and the examination of a young man who has to navigate two worlds is beautifully written.  You felt Julian's struggle. I had issues with his parents while they were in Cuba and even once they got to America.  I felt for them as they entered into a new world, struggled with living in America but there were times I just wanted Julian to walk away and not look back.

This is a well written story that really speaks to the culture, and struggles of new immigrants and their struggle with a new world.  How communism can change you and how being a child who has to resort to being the caregiver can take its toll.

The only things I wish were different in this book were the cover and the ending which I felt was very abrupt but it is well worth your time.


Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 



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