Confessions of a Cuban Boy - Waiting for Snow in Havana

Very interesting perspective that this man writes from about his childhood. I had to read it for a class at school, and actually ended up enjoying it a lot!! I enjoy history and first-hand experiences, so this book was a great fit! He also tells it from adulthood so he is able to add in those things that have affected him his entire life!

I chuckled throughout this beautiful account of life through a young boy's eyes. It is uncanny how he was able to capture that perspective -- and he transported me back to my youth too. An extraordinary book. A little melancholy, and poignant. A treasure.

The writer presents his childhood in humorous chapters. His writing is pleasing and gives many images of his youth and his family life. Along the way the reader learns, little by little, what has happened since he and his brother were forced to move to America. Many insights into life before Castro.

This was a good read. Eire offers so much information which does not show up in the news. It was eye opening to know that some people were happy to stay in Cuba and to know their reasons for staying. The description of the island and the rituals and the people gave depth to the read. I would recommend this book to anyone

This was a touching poignant story of a young upper class boy in Havana coming to terms with the Cuban revolution. Castro and his men moved in and life changed. No more Catholic boys' school, no more American movies. The wealthy were prosecuted and persecuted - All their possessions taken. Having lived with privilege, Carlos was confused by the new world order and restrictions but was shocked when he and his brother were shipped to the States with little more than the clothes on their backs. A boy accustomed to deferential because of his father's position as judge, he was greeted in Florida by being placed in a children's refugee camp and called a spic. He spent years working at menial jobs while trying to get an education. This was a story everyone should read.

As a person who has spent considerable time in Cuba on various scientific projects, this was a poignant and personal read. Eire's vivid portrayal of how the revolution affected him and his family is like a visit to 1959 in a verbal time machine - and the pain and suffering that began then, nearly 60 years ago has only just begun to fade. Generally, I wouldn't recommend a memoir that essentially ends at the age of ten, but the events of the Cuban Revolution were so drastic and paradigm shifting that in this case, it makes sense. My only complaint might be that the style of the book borders at times on the fantastical (reminding me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and this seems a little out of place in a memoir - but then, perhaps this is a part of the charm of the book.

The book was insightful regarding life in Cuba at the time of the Castro takeover. The story was told in a unique manner that provided truth, historical and cultural context, sadness, and humor. From feeling heartache to outright laughter to admiration for an overcoming spirit, I admired the writing as well as the story itself.

I heard this author interviewed on NPR, so when it turned up for $1.99 for Kindle, I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did. How this kid survived his childhood with all the dangerous activities he engaged in is a mystery, but he did. His father and mother were completely convinced they were the reincarnations of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, so when Fidel came to power, they had a 'here we go again' attitude, only this time they were determined to escape before the revolutionary tumbrils rattled down the streets to pick them up.

They had to split the family up to leave the country. The children went first, expecting to reunite with their mother within a matter of months. Instead years followed of living in orphanages and foster homes before they were united. Their father did not leave Cuba, but stayed behind.

Cuba, as seen through the eyes of an upper-class child before Fidel, was a paradise. Except for the lizards. He hated lizards, and there were millions on the island. He killed as many as he could, but they won in the end.

Very interesting historical account (but reads like a novel) of how Cubans lived before and after Castro coming to power. Especially poignant is how thousands of children were affected when sent to the U.S, to escape in the early days of the Castro regime.

Carlos Eire has created a memorable record of his childhood in Havana writng beautifully of his lovely surroundings populated by colorful characters, many of them related to him. The shadow of impending doom in the shape of Fidel's revolution slowly but relentlessly advances over this idylic scene and ultimately results in his secure world and his family being torn apart.
This book brilliantly combines a distinctly Cuban coming of age tale with a view into Cuba at the time of the revolution as experienced through the eyes of a comfortable middle class child.
Eire's writing is so evocative of the feelings he associates with the various episodes in his early life that the reader is drawn into his experience in a very visceral way.
I thought this book was beautifully written and at times emotionally wrenching. A wonderful eye-opening read . Highest reccomendation.

Memoir that totally reads like a novel. . . So much here to chew on! Beautifully vivid account of a magical boyhood interrupted by the Cuban Revolution. Non-linear and deeply layered, while at times hilarious in the way John Irving was in books like The Hotel New Hampshire, or A Prayer for Owen Meany, it is also a profoundly sad and deeply affecting read.

I thought this book was wonderful, Tells a fabulous story of life in Cuba before Castro and also after he became leader. Beautifully written. If you don't care about Cuba, still buy it. Nuggets of wisdom and insight. Mr Eire should be so proud of this book. I know I would be.

What a great book.
It reminded me of my childhood .
I too was born on an island what a nice childhood Roberto Eire experienced.
Privileged , until Fidel Castro stepped into the picture and changed everything.

Gives you a nice impression of Cuba just before Castro in a well to do family. The characters seem to be living a fantasy world that they think unshakable, until it gets shook up. The main carácter is a lovable sensitive kid that lost Paradise and has to adapt to new world while trying to grow up and stay himself.

Carlos Eire arrives on the literary scene with a tasty eye for the magical, a sense of humor that is ingratiating, an ability to capture the tenor of Cuba at the time of the Revolution, an adult's sense of tragedy as perceived through the trusting eyes of a child. WAITING FOR SNOW IN HAVANA: Confessions of a Cuban Boy is wonderful rollercoaster of a ride that recalls the unimaginable beauty of Cuba before the fall, walks through the tangled streets of a city destroyed by a dictator, and finally looks back (and down) at the Cuba of today from a vantage in the United States.
Eire knows children well, so well that at times his writing is so convincingly that of a wide-eyed child that the reader needs to back up a few pages to realize this is a memoir and not a novel. In the end he has more thoroughly than any other writer given us an insider's view of Cuba in the 50's and 60's that it is possible for us to understand the mountainous changes that Fidel Castro effected on this lovely island. To say more would be to spoil an E-ride in Disneyland. Read this book for the joy of a child's perception, the insight of an expatriate's knowledge, and the philosophy of a man of heart and hope. A fine Debut Novel.

Fascinating information about pre- and post-Castro Havana. I have a sister-in-law who came to Florida via Pedro Pan, so I was especially interested. Book is very well written - reads like a novel, but it's a true story!

Excellent story, written from the heart. Whether male or female, the reader becomes Carlos as a young boy. The narrative time changes flip back and forth smoothly and effortlessly. A great read! This copy was purchased as a gift.

Moving, insightful and funny, this book manages to capture both a childhood in general and a particular Cuban childhood. It is at once universal and individual. It manages to be sentimental without being trite or manipulative. Characters, especially the father, are vivid.

Much too repetitively written. Made it a difficult read. I do have sympathy for all exposed to the horrors of their exile ...I found this book a disturbing experience in reading and would probably have stopped the read if it were not that it was a book club selection for the month.