{"product_id":"voices-from-mariel-oral-histories-of-the-1980-cuban-boatlift-paperback","title":"Voices from Mariel: Oral Histories of the 1980 Cuban Boatlift - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJosé Manuel García\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween April and September 1980, more than 125,000 Cuban refugees fled their homeland, seeking freedom from Fidel Castro's dictatorship. They departed in boats from the port of Mariel and braved the dangerous 90-mile journey across the Straits of Florida. Told in the words of the immigrants themselves, the stories in \u003ci\u003eVoices from Mariel\u003c\/i\u003e offer an up-close view of this international crisis, the largest oversea mass migration in Latin American history.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFormer refugees describe what it was like to gather among thousands of dissidents on the grounds of the Peruvian embassy in Cuba, where the movement first began. They were abused by the masses who protested them as they made their way to the Mariel harbor, before they were finally permitted to leave the country by Castro in an attempt to disperse the civil unrest. They waited interminably for boats in oppressive heat, squalor, and desperation at the crowded tent camp known as \"El Mosquito.\" They embarked on vessels overloaded with too many passengers and battled harrowing storms on their journeys across the open ocean.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthor Jose Manuel Garcia, who emigrated on the Mariel boatlift as a teenager, describes the events that led to the exodus and explains why so many Cubans wanted to leave the island. The shockingly high numbers of refugees who came through immigration centers in Key West, Miami, and other parts of the United States was a message--loud and clear--to the world of the people's discontent with Castro's government and the unfulfilled promises of the Cuban Revolution.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on the award-winning documentary of the same name, \u003ci\u003eVoices from Mariel\u003c\/i\u003e features the experiences of \u003ci\u003emarielitos\u003c\/i\u003e from all walks of life. These are stories of disappointed dreams, love for family and country, and hope for a better future. This book illuminates a powerful moment in history that will continue to be felt in Cuba and the United States for generations to come.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eJosé Manuel García\u003c\/b\u003e is associate professor of Spanish and Latin American studies at Florida Southern College. He wrote the script for the international award-winning documentary \u003ci\u003eVoices from Mariel\u003c\/i\u003e and is the author of \u003ci\u003eLa literatura cubano americana y su imagen\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 198\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.45 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e March 31, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53247600918835,"sku":"9780813081632","price":31.79,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/nNacPqvtIt9780813081632.webp?v=1776305302","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/voices-from-mariel-oral-histories-of-the-1980-cuban-boatlift-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}