FLIGHT TO FREEDOM
by Ana Veciana-Suarez

Discussion Points

Characters

1. Yara is trying to adjust to American life but is torn over obeying her parents’ Cuban “rules.” In what ways does Yara respect her parents’ wishes, even when she doesn’t want to? In what ways does Yara decide what is best for her instead of obeying her parents?

2. Papi, Yara’s father, seems to strongly resist change by repeating that the family should not adjust because they will be back in Cuba soon. At what moments do you start to see Papi adjusting to American life? Do you think that he will ever fully adjust? Explain.

3. Mami, Yara’s mother, begins to adjust to the change of living in America. How does her getting a job and learning to drive a car affect the family? In what ways does Mami try to keep their Cuban heritage and customs constant in their life? How does Mami’s acceptance of American life help the rest of the family adjust?

4. Ileana, Yara’s older sister, tries to adapt to American life by rejecting Cuban customs. How does Ileana’s rebellion affect the family? How does it affect Yara? Ileana also fights her family to get a job. How does this new responsibility change Ileana?

5. Yara meets and befriends a girl in school named Jane. How does Jane help Yara adjust to American life? In what ways do Jane and her family show respect to Yara’s family’s beliefs and customs?

6. Yara’s uncle and his family help the Garcias get adjusted to American life. What qualities does Efraín demonstrate that help ease this adjustment? How does Efrain’s joining the army affect the family?

7. Yara’s grandfather, Abuelo Tony, teaches her and her sister, Ana Maria, many things. Abuelo Tony has many sayings. How do they affect Yara? How does Abuelo Tony’s death affect the family? How does it affect Yara personally?

8. Pepito, Yara’s older brother, stayed in Cuba because he was in the army. In what ways does his being in Cuba put a strain on the family? In what ways does it hold back their progress in adjusting to American life?

Settings and Theme

1. In what ways has the family’s attitude toward one another changed from Cuba to America? What things have some of the family members done in America that they may never have thought of doing when living in Cuba?

2. Papi asks the family to live “suspended in the middle between two countries.” Yara disagrees and says that “we have to be either here or there…We must choose.” Is there a way to live in both? How does the family begin to accomplish this?

3. Describe some of the prejudices or other barriers the García family faces in Cuba. Describe the prejudices or barriers they face in America. How does the family overcome them? How does Yara personally deal with them?

4. This book was written from Yara’s point of view. How might the book differ if written by another family member?

5. Yara says, “It made me wonder what kind of life I might have had, the kind of life all my family would have had, if the Communists had not taken over our country…How strange that one event, one decision, can change so many parts of so many people’s lives.” How do you think the story would have been different if the family hadn’t been forced to leave Cuba?

Discussion guide written by Katy Stangland.

Here’s a peek at the two newest First Person Fiction books,
The Stone Goddess by Minfong Ho, and Finding My Hat by John Son.

The Stone Goddess

By Minfong Ho

When the Communists take over the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh, Nakri Sokha and her family’s life is suddenly disrupted. Forced to evacuate the city, she and her siblings are soon torn from their parents to work in a labor camp in the countryside.

Minfong Ho, the author of The Clay Marble and of the Caldecott Honor book Hush!: A Thai Lullaby, is a sensitive and powerful storyteller. With imagery that is at once vibrant and subtle, Ms. Ho shows how a young girl—through her love of classical dance—eventually comes to terms with a world shattered by upheavals beyond her control.