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Claire Fadul

4th period

Historical Fiction Novel Report

February 22, 2022

Choices

Enrique Flores-Galbis is the author of this intriguing historical fiction novel, 90 Miles to Havana.

Flores-Galbis is also the author of another historical fiction called “Raining Sardines.” Flores-Galbis

copyrighted 90 Miles to Havana in 2010 and the book consists of 292 pages. The story is associated with

Flores-Galbis’s own experiences, for the novel is about a fictional young refugee sent to the States during

the Operation of Pedro Pan. However, this story describes the emotion that the main character goes

through and what he did along the way he was sent.

90 Miles to Havana begins with the introduction of the main character, Julian, on a sailboat with

his family and close family friends on New Year’s Eve at the Gulf Stream two miles north of Havana.

Unfortunately, Julian experiences a stressful and difficult moment as he tries to reel in the family’s

traditional first catch of New Year’s good luck. With the unsuccessful catch, Julian feels disheartened and

worse because of his two persecuting older brothers. Luckily Angelita, the daughter of the Garcias,

comforts Julian and encourages him. Angelita’s attempt did not suffice, however, for Julian feels like all

the bad luck has risen to taunt him, as he watches the start of a revolution within their town. Citizens are

breaking government properties, furniture is being thrown out the window from the mayor's house, and

the havoc of loud sirens and gunshots occurs.

After a couple of days of the New Year’s fiasco, the Garcias, Angelita’s family, decide to move

out of Havana, Cuba, and go to Miami, Florida. Julian is sad and his family is sad about the news, but

Julian starts to understand that what is happening can be dangerous. Within just a couple of weeks after

Angelita’s family, Julian’s mother thinks that they should go as well to start a new life. Despite that,
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Julian’s mother knows she and her husband can’t accompany their sons because they can’t leave right

away. Therefore, when Julian’s mother was preparing their pasture, she tells Julian to take care of a

golden pure bird pendant, which can be sold once they are in Miami together to start fresh.

Upon Julian’s arrival with his brothers at Miami, they enter a camp in the most unwelcoming

way. The camp is being led by a director, but the one who is leading the kids and keeping them in order is

a bully named Cabalo. Cabalo makes the camp unbearable for Julian and his brothers but then Julian sees

Angelita again and is surprised. Angelita tells Julian and his brothers that people don’t stay at the camp,

they either go to orphanages or foster homes and they don’t usually have the kids be together going to

those places. Just a month after Julian realizes that his brothers were sent away, Julian decides to run

away from the camp and stay with an older Cuban boy named Tomas on his boat. He then learns how to

be on his own for the first time and within the period, Tomas tells Julian about his mission to rescue

fourteen people. Towards the end of it, Julian gave Tomas the golden pure bird pendant so he can have

money for supplies to get his boat working, but Tomas says he will find a way to return it. Julian goes

along with Tomas to save the fourteen people at the Havana port and on his return back to Miami he is

caught by a policeman telling him his mother is waiting for him. When Julian breaks the news to his

mother, his mother is shocked, but the next day they receive the pure bird pendant back and Julian’s

family is happy they can start their life together.

90 Miles to Havana correlates to the historical event around Operation Pedro Pan during the

1960s. It was a clandestine program resulting in the transport of more than 14,000 Cuban children to the

United States, which explains why there were children that were from Cuba that Julian, the main

character, encounters at the camp. The location in the tale of 90 Miles to Havana was held at, Miami,

Florida, which was also the city that was historically overwhelmed by the Cuban Children’s Program. The

author, Flores-Galbis stated the president at the time was “J Kennedy,” from one of the characters Julian

meets. This significance is since John F. Kennedy approved the funding for the Relief Program for

children from Cuba to attend schools. In addition to that, the story states that Julian’s mother was afraid

she would lose her children after she would send them away, correlating to how it was said confirmedly
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where Cuban parents were fearing the indoctrination that the government would take away their parental

authority.

The title of the book, 90 Miles to Havana, is significantly about the trip from Miami, Florida back

to Havana, Cuba, in the end. It made the suspense and the character development grow beforehand, as

Julian experiences the hardships without his brothers and learns how to continue. Julian decided to leave

camp and stay with Tomas. When Julian had the opportunity on helping Tomas save fourteen people that

needed to immigrate to the United States, he took action. The title itself explains the major action or event

that Julian had achieved, yet this would have not happened if Julian didn’t take the first steps in doing so.

Leading the 90 Miles to Havana is not only the main action but the psychological action Julian faced

when heading back to Havana.

Julian, the overall main character of the novel, is the one who drastically changed the most. He

started as a young kid who wanted to match up with his brothers. He wanted to prove to his family that he

can do whatever they can. He believed it yet he was shunned by his overbearing brothers, discouraging

himself. Until when they were in Miami when his brother was sent away to an orphanage, Julian decided

and acted on his own without worry. He thought, proceeded, and made plans for himself unlike before.

He was able to share his knowledge with others and communicate without feeling judged. Overall, Julian

truly changed significantly through his experience in the story.

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Operation Pedro Pan

Enrique Flores-Galbis, the author of 90 Miles to Havana, based this fictional historical novel on

his own experiences. He was born in 1952 in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to the United States in 1961,

due to the break-in of diplomatic relations that began on the year of 1961, January 3rd. The program was

called Operation Pedro Pan that was created by the Catholic Welfare Bureau, in other words, Catholic

Charities, of Miami in December 1960. This was made as a response to the request of parents in Cuba to

provide an opportunity for their children to avoid Marxist-Leninist indoctrination. Operation Pedro Pan

came to be when the United States Department of State notified parents in Cuba that visa requirements

are waived for their children enabling them to travel by commercial flights to Miami. This was approved

and discussed, in which within a couple of months of Operation Pedro Pan, 14,000 unaccompanied

minors arrived in Miami under the Catholic Welfare Bureau’s sponsorship.

Throughout Operation Pedro Pan, the biggest problem the Catholic Welfare Bureau had

undergone was the number of children increasing every week. That as their resort it was solved by asking

Catholic Charity agencies around the country to provide foster homes and group care homes for the

young refugees. They have provided shelter and care in over 100 cities in 35 different States. Fortunately,

according to law, they have made sure children that were placed around the country won’t be placed in

adoptive homes for it was said that the whole purpose of the program was to safeguard parental rights. At

times the program was a high-handed success where the real heroes of Pedro Pan were the parents who

made the hardest decision that any parent can make, sending their children on their own to another

country.
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Works Cited

"Flores-Galbis, Enrique 1952– ." Something About the Author. . Encyclopedia.com. 24 Jan. 2022

<https://www.encyclopedia.com>. Accessed February 17, 2022.

Malone, June. “Building a New Rocket for the Nation: Six Connecticut Companies Help NASA

Build, Test, Fly America’s Next Generation Ares I Launch Vehicle”.September 15, 2008.

Nasa.gov, www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/news/news/releases/2008/08-118.html. Accessed

February 17, 2022.

Maret, S. and Aschkenas, L. (2011), "Operation Pedro Pan: The hidden history of 14,000 Cuban

children", Maret, S. (Ed.) Government Secrecy (Research in Social Problems and Public

Policy, Vol. 19), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 171-184.

Emerald.com. AccessedFeb 17, 2022

“Presidents; John f. Kennedy” WH.GOV, whitehouse.gov,

www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/john-f-kennedy/ . Accessed February

17, 2022