
RUINS
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Usnavy has always been a true believer.
When the Cuban Revolution triumphed in 1959, he was just a young man
and eagerly signed on for all of its promises. But as the years have
passed, the sacrifices have outweighed the glories and he’s become
increasingly isolated in his revolutionary zeal. His friends openly mock
him, his wife dreams of owning a car totally outside their reach, and
his beloved fourteen-year-old daughter haunts the coast of Havana,
staring north.
In the summer of 1994, a few years after the collapse of
the Soviet Union,
Usnavy has always been a true believer.
When the Cuban Revolution triumphed in 1959, he was just a young man
and eagerly signed on for all of its promises. But as the years have
passed, the sacrifices have outweighed the glories and he’s become
increasingly isolated in his revolutionary zeal. His friends openly mock
him, his wife dreams of owning a car totally outside their reach, and
his beloved fourteen-year-old daughter haunts the coast of Havana,
staring north.
In the summer of 1994, a few years after the collapse of
the Soviet Union, the government allows Cubans to leave at will and on
whatever will float. More than 100,000 flee–including Usnavy’s best
friend. Things seem to brighten when he stumbles across what may or may
not be a priceless Tiffany lamp that reveals a lost family secret and
fuels his long repressed feelings . . . But now Usnavy is faced with a
choice between love for his family and the Revolution that has shaped
his entire life.
About Achy Obejas
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Praise
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Discussion Questions
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