Christina Diaz Gonzalez: The Freedom to Choose
RSSJennifer M. Brown, Curriculum Connections -- School Library Journal, 04/19/2010
TeachingBooks.net resources on this interview »»»
In her eye-opening debut novel, The Red Umbrella, Christina Diaz Gonzalez traces the impact of the events in 1961 Cuba on 14-year-old Lucía Álvarez and her family. The book begins on May 2nd of that year, the day after Fidel Castro banned elections in Cuba. After her best friend, Ivette, joins the Jóvenes Rebeldes("young rebels"), and a rift develops between her father and uncle, Castro's initiatives begin to hit home for Lucía.
Her parents make the painful decision to send the girl and her seven-year-old brother, Frankie, to the United States, in hopes—but with no promise—of joining them later. Known as Operación Pedro Pan, this was "the largest exodus of unaccompanied children ever in the history of the Western Hemisphere," as an author's note explains. Gonzalez's parents were two of those children. Here the author talks about the seeds of the novel, and her personal connection to The Red Umbrella.
In her eye-opening debut novel, The Red Umbrella (Knopf, May 2010), Christina Diaz Gonzalez traces the impact of the events in 1961 Cuba on 14-year-old Lucía Álvarez and her family. The book begins on May 2, 1961, the day after Fidel Castro banned elections in Cuba. After her best friend, Ivette, joins the Jóvenes Rebeldes ('young rebels';), and a rift develops between her father and uncle, Castro's initiatives begin to hit home for Lucía. Her parents make the painful decision to send the girl and her seven-year-old brother, Frankie, to the United States, in hopes-but with no promise-of joining them later. Known as Operación Pedro Pan, this was 'the largest exodus of unaccompanied children ever in the history of the Western Hemisphere,'; as an author's note explains. Gonzalez's own parents were two of those children. Here the author talks about the seeds of the novel, and her personal connection to The Red Umbrella.
Why did you decide to write a fictional story rather than a family history?
I wanted the novelto be representative of what many children went through.It is reflective of my family, but notmy parents' story or one particular family's story.
How did you balance Lucía's story with the larger events unfolding around her?
Newspaper headlines at the start of each chapter give readers a sense of what is going on in Cuba [and the U.S. reporting of theevents], but my focus was what was happening in the life of this one girl. I think that's why the story resonates with immigrants and people who have lost a parent. They identify with the pain of separation that the characters in the novel experience.
Were Cuban families often divided in their political beliefs, the way Lucía and Frankie's father and uncle are divided?
Yes, definitely. When you speak to Cuban families, especially those here in Miami, you'll find that often there wasa family member-whether it was a grandparent or cousin-that was in favor of the revolution, while the rest of the family wasn't.
The exodus of people from Cuba also divided families that may not have taken opposing points of view on the revolution, but who felt the Castro government wouldn't last. Some people chose to stay and wait it out, but later were unable to leave….Now 50 years have passed and they are still separated.
Where did the image of the red umbrella come from?
When I started writing the novel, I didn't have a working title. I kept playing around with imagery, thinking, 'What colors did I see in Cuba and in Nebraska?'; In talking to my mom she told me that when she was boarding the plane to leave Cuba, her mother said to look for her from the plane, she'd be carrying a red umbrella. I'd either forgotten or never knew that story, but used it in my book. I knew it would be a turning point in the story.
It's an especially poignant moment because Lucia had made fun of that same umbrella earlier in the novel.
Taking a step back from the story, I can remember another incident [involving] that same grandmother. When I was in first or second grade, we lived close to the school in the same small town. It was a bright, sunny day. It's typical in Latin American countries to use umbrellas to provide shade, but not so much in this southern town. All the kids were laughing and pointing at a woman walking with a black umbrella in the sunshine saying, 'Look at that crazy lady, she thinks it's raining!'; I joined in the 'crazy lady, crazy lady'; chorus and then realized it was my grandmother we were taunting.
Abuela's earrings also play an important role in the story.
That episode was fictional, but I know so many Cubans who did try to sneak in something-a diamond earring in their shoe, anything-they could sell for cash once they reached the United States. I wanted to convey the idea that those earrings would be one of the last prized possessions, and they would mean nothing to Lucía's mother, compared to [selling them to buy U.S. passage for] her children.
Why do you think so little is written about Operación Pedro Pan?
I believe it took time for the people who experienced it to come to terms with it. I've met with a few people from my own family that didn't want to speak about it. A lot of pain and anguish exists even after 50 years. The Miami Herald ran a huge story for the 50th anniversary and opened a database where all the Pedro Pan kids can find each other. There are thousands of registrants. They're all talking to each other and arranging reunions.
Was the relatively positive experience that Lucía and Frankie had something you wanted your readers to experience?
Obviously there are always painful episodes, but the majority of the people I've spoken with were eventually reunited with their parents and look back on that time as positive.Their parents made a difficult decision and did what they felt was the only thing they could do to save their children.
What I saw and experienced in my own childhood in a small town was an enormous sense of community, an opening of hearts, a welcoming.Even though we were the only Hispanic family, the reaction was, 'Isn't that wonderful, the Diaz family speaks Spanish,'; and then they'd move on to the next thing.
Did your family have a connection to Nebraska, as Lucía and Frankie did?
No. My mother-in-law was placed in the camps in Miami initially, then sent to Des Moines, IA. My parents met here in Miami; both came over with their siblings. They were lucky that friends of the family were able to pick them up in the United States.At first, my [paternal] grandmother worked nights cleaning office bathrooms. My father got a scholarship, and helped put his siblings through school. They always told me, 'No matter what happens, no one can take away your education.';
What would you like readers to take from your novel?
One of the things I felt was really important and tried to convey in my book was that home is not a physical space. Lucía is constantly thinking about going home. Eventually she realizes that homeiswhere you feel accepted and where you have people who love and appreciate you. In Lucia's case that included not only her own family, but also the Baxter family. For some people, home is the friends who embrace you.
Jennifer M. Brown is the children's editor for Shelf Awareness, a daily enewsletter for the publishing trade. She recently launched the Web site Twenty by Jenny, which recommends titles to help parents build their child's library one book at a time.
