Discuss the author’s representation of political repression in Castro’s Cuba. Which of the Castro regime’s practices and policies impacted Ojito and her family? Why did the Ojitos and other families feel that emigration was their only option?

Discuss the author’s representation of Bernardo Benes. Who was he, and why was he so important to both Cuban and Cuban American politics in the decades following the revolution?

What kind of experiences did the author have upon immigrating to the United States? What was life in exile like for her, and how did she find a new sense of stability and identity in Miami?