Description
Book SynopsisIn 1961, fearing the communist rule of Fidel Castro, Guillermo Vicente Vidal's family sent him to America through Operation Peter Pan. He arrived in Colorado and was sent to an orphanage with his brothers, and his family reunited four years later. Fifty years later, he served as Denver's mayor. This is his story of overcoming incredible odds.
Trade Review"I really enjoyed it." --President Bill Clinton "The book is lovely, beautifully written and so evocative of a time and place." --Anna Quindlen "Growing up in a wealthy, privileged family in Havana in the 1950s, Guillermo seemed to lead an idyllic life, but, in fact, he and his brothers lay awake for hours as their parents raged at each other long into the night. Then Castro came to power, and, in 1961, Guillermo's parents sent the boys to the U.S. with more than 14,000 other Cuban children on Operation Peter Pan. When relatives in Miami failed to meet the Vidal brothers, they found themselves in an orphanage in Denver, where they suffered brutal abuse. After many years, their parents joined them; Vidal grew up to be mayor of Denver, and today he is a Hispanic business leader. Cuban Americans will certainly take pride in the successful immigrant story here, but the candor of the personal drama at home gives the book added depth and resonance. Paralleling the broader context of political uproar in Cuba and the missile crisis are the raging battles between the parents, from which there wasno escape." --Booklist "Una historia que inspira." --Ken Salazar, Secretario del Interior de Estados Unidos "Un libro lirico y magico." --John Hickenlooper, gobernador de Colorado "Una historia inquietante sobre la transicion a la adultez, que recuerda una novela 'dickensiana', aunque...totalmente veridica." --Helen Thorpe, periodista
