Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 6-8 of 8
 Adventure, Love, and Free Enterprise! November 27, 2005
Walden P. Pratt (Arvada, CO, USA)
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
Review of "Adios, Havana: A Memoir" by Andrew J. Rodriguez; review by Walden P. Pratt
Andrew Rodriguez grew up in pre-Castro Cuba of the 1950s, where there was relative freedom and prosperity, casinos and nightclubs, even under the corrupt government of the despot Batista. In this exciting memoir he writes vividly of his teenage years in a middle-class Havana family, learning about the threats of Communism from his father, but also hanging out with his buddies: ogling girls, and snorkeling and fishing in the blue waters of the Alligator Island-an idyllic life for a teenage boy. He also writes of the dangers of foregoing the politically correct La Universidad de La Habana in order to attend a private school at night to learn accounting-a profession that he found totally boring, although it would one day support his family for a time. He writes of the enthusiasm with which the populace greeted the "savior" Castro in his first parade-and then of the gradual disillusionment as the reality of a new and even worse dictatorship set in; of elation, then sudden letdown, when the Bay of Pigs invasion collapsed. It is a story of living first in frustration and later in perpetual danger, of a yearning to escape tyranny but the fear of fatal consequences if such an attempt should fail.
But this is also very much a love story-a story of Andrew's unswerving devotion to Margarita, the cultured, well-educated beauty with whom he fell in love, almost literally at first sight. He writes with delightful candor about their courtship, the games they both played as they overcame their shyness, but also the deep, abiding love that grew as they learned more about each other and eventually married. He writes suspensefully of their escape from Cuba in November 1961, and of the endless bureaucratic tangles that had to be navigated for permission to leave. He tells of the close call with the authorities on his departure; and of Margarita's arriving at Miami airport a day later, unable to speak English and with her beloved Andy nowhere in sight.
Finally, this is a modern Horatio Alger story of American free enterprise, of how the Rodriguezes arrived in Miami almost penniless, and how Andy felt blessed to work at any job he could find, however menial or repulsive. He writes poignantly of their later move to Colorado under the sponsorship of a local church, and of their incredulous feelings at the overwhelming kindness of these strangers who provided food, housing, and love. And finally, he describes how, through a combination of hard work and Divine providence, they built a highly successful business that has enabled them to retire in comfort.
That Castro still rules Cuba must surely be heartbreaking to the countless thousands of Cuban immigrants who loved that beautiful island nation as it once was. Rodriguez's glimpse of life there before and after Castro took over, and his account of the adventure of starting a new life in the U.S., is a compelling tale in itself, and his smooth, informal style makes it a very easy read.
Passionate man's story of love, repatriotism and success November 16, 2005
Allbooks Review (Canada)
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Genre: Memoirs
Title: Adios Havana
AUTHOR: Andrew J. Rodriguez
Andrew Rodriguez is a passionate man; passionate about the country of his birth, passionate about his life and passionate about his woman. When Fidel Castro turns the author's Cuban paradise into a living hell, Andrew is faced with a decision that will affect not only his life, but the life of the woman he loves and their future together. Must he turn his back on his past to embrace an unknown future? Can they sacrifice their wealth and position and start over with nothing in a strange land?
Adios Havana is a true account of one family's struggle to leave the country that it loves and make a new life in America. It is a tale of love, endurance and determination that will pull at the reader's heartstrings. Each chapter will bring tears, laughter and joy as the story enfolds. The author has a unique talent for making the reader a part of the story as the characters become friends and their fate is anxiously awaited page after page. This book is a success story with a happy ending to be enjoyed and shared with family and friends. Immigrants and refugees from all over the globe will identify with the trials and tribulations encountered when seeking a new life in a new land.
It is the author's intent to remind readers of the fragility of freedom and to encourage them to take nothing for granted. A book that should be read by everyone, it emphasizes the importance of freedom and offers counsel in preventing such a situation in this the "Land of the Free." He makes his point well in an entertaining format.
Author Andrew J. Rodriguez retired as CEO of a spice and seasonings business in Colorado. He and his wife Margarita enjoy spending their time in Florida and Colorado. Adios Havana follows his first historical fiction, The Teleportation of an American Teenager.
Highly recommended. Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Reviews.
Title: Adios Havana
Author: Andrew J. Rodriguez
Publisher: Outskirts Press
ISBN: 1-59800-048-9
Pages: 262
Price: $14.95
The book is a must read October 17, 2005
BookReview.com (Madison, WI United States)
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
Every American should read the stories of those who have chosen to live here. Those who complain about life in a land of opportunity should consider what other options they have and be grateful. In a memoir of his leaving his beloved island behind in order to make a new life for his wife and himself, Andrew J. Rodriguez brings the reader to Cuba and offers a sense of the insecurity, the lack of privacy and the burning hope for change.
Rodriguez allows the reader to feel his emotions as he made the decision to leave Cuba, jumped through the outrageous hoops to be able to do so, and came face to face with the reality of starting over in the United States. What's more is that he shares the details of his parents' lives, and his in-laws' lives, and the story of his wife's 110-year-old grandfather. Through it all Rodriguez offers to readers the honest memories of his past, not holding back the intimate details of living.
I've always wanted to visit Cuba and through the pages of "Adios, Havana" I was able to do so. I witnessed the beauty of it and the culture that permeates Andrew's story. I also witnessed the deception of Castro and the result of his coming to power. I can only be grateful that I was born in America and mindful that others weren't. Rodriguez shares the details of his coming to America and the struggle to find his own American Dream. Through this portion of the book one is reminded that opportunities are out there and it is up to the person in need of them to find them.
With a style that is open and honest, Andrew's writing is smooth and easy to read. Like chatting with an old friend over coffee, it is easy to be caught up in the tale. Readers will care what happens to Andrew and his family and this personal story tells me so much more than I ever learned about Cuba in school. Here is a family legacy to be proud of.
The book is a must read, in my opinion, and one that you won't soon forget.
Review by Heather Froeschl.
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