Example Blog of Historical Fiction

 

The book I chose is Good-bye Havana! Hola New York! by Edie Colon and illustrated by Raul Colon.

The story takes place in early 1960 in Cuba during the time of the revolution, when Fidel Castro ruled Cuba. The main character, Gabriela  tells of how her family moved to the Bronx, in New York. They immigrated in order to escape the harsh hand of Castro.

Good-bye Havana! Hola New York! is a historical fiction. The author Edie includes an editor's note explaining that the events all happened to him and that he invented the character of Gabriela to better tell the story. I chose this book because this story reminds me of a friend and what they went through in the 1960's. This story seems superficially innocent, but, within it the underlying reality of life in Cuba during that time can be seen. Growing up, I heard all of the stories from my friend and learned a great deal of how life was like there. Knowing where we come from is important to self-identity. This book is a good starting place where I can begin to explain where we are from and introduce our cultural hertiage. 

The social justice portion of the book is evident withing the political tones threaded throughout the book. Included are the resistance, the overthrow of the old government and the takeover of the country by Castro as well as what happened after Castro came to power. According to Six Elements of Social Justice Curriculum, the themes covered in this book include self-love and knowledge where students learn who they are and where they come from as well as respect for others in learning about other students' experiences. This also allows for discussion about social injustice and how these forms of oppression affect different communities.