A touching memoir recounting the journey of a young Cuban immigrant to the US who went on to become a professor and university dean. In February 1962, three years into Fidel Castro’s rule of their Cuban homeland, the González family—an auto mechanic, his wife, and two young children—landed in Miami with a few personal possessions and two bottles of Cuban rum. As his parents struggled to find work, eleven-year-old Gerardo struggled to fit in at school, where a teacher intimidated him and school authorities placed him on a vocational track. Inspired by a close friend, Gerardo decided to go to college. He not only graduated but, with hard work and determination, placed himself on a path through higher education that brought him to a deanship at the Indiana University School of Education. In this deeply moving memoir, González recounts his remarkable personal and professional journey. The memoir begins with Gerardo’s childhood in Cuba and recounts the family’s emigration to the United States and struggles to find work and assimilate, and González’s upward track through higher education. It demonstrates the transformative power that access to education can have on one person’s life. Gerardo’s journey came full circle when he returned to Cuba fifty years after he left, no longer the scared, disheartened refugee but rather proud, educated, and determined to speak out against those who wished to silence others. It includes treasured photographs and documents from González’s life in Cuba and the US. His is the story of one immigrant attaining the American Dream, told at a time when the fate of millions of refugees throughout the world, and Hispanics in the United States, especially his fellow Cubans, has never been more uncertain. “Author and educator Gerardo M. González brilliantly illustrates the joys and struggles of the refugee experience, and the inarguable role of education as an open door to opportunity. This is a delightful read, and one that will inspire you to achieve greatness regardless of the odds.” —Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón, President, Miami Dade College “There can be no more persuasive testimony to the power of intelligence, commitment, and inspiration than Gerardo M. González’s memoir. The contribution of immigrants to America’s prosperity and national achievements is undeniably impressive. Yet, this transformational story of challenge and achievement, while individually exceptional, is nonetheless emblematic of the experience of countless immigrants who have made America better than it could otherwise have been. No finer antidote to the simplistic sloganeering of the immigration debate exists.” —John V. Lombardi, President Emeritus, University of Florida, and author of How Universities Work

As a young boy, Aurelio F. Barreto III fled communist Cuba with his family to search for the American Dream. But making his first million in his twenties only led the young inventor to realize he could not buy the kind of life he was searching for. Read what finally got Aurelio's attention, and how God used his life's failures and challenges in an unexpected new way.

The stories collected in this book retell the experiences of refugees as they leave their homelands and Settle in the United States.

When Fidel Castro assumed military and political power of Cuba in 1959, the future of millions of Cuban citizens became unsure. The Cuban Revolution set in motion an immigration train for the Bello and Machado families that lasted more than thirty years and spanned three generations. Fabian Bello was born in Havana, Cuba and immigrated to the United States with his parents and paternal grandmother just 25 days after his third birthday. Although he was a young child when he arrived in Florida, being raised in a family that escaped communism influenced the way Fabian perceives the world and has given him deeper insight and appreciation of the unique values and opportunities available in the United States of America. In (re)Made in America, Fabian recounts the struggles his family endured, and the price they paid to leave Cuba and start new lives in the United States of America. He relates the trials and triumphs of growing up in a new country and finding his professional path in life and business. Fabian also delves into the pressing issues of our time and explores what it means to value and live the American Dream.

I've never read a book from cover to cover, but I've never been short on stories. This book is a collection of my own stories about growing up in communist Cuba and how I escaped Cuba in search of the American dream. Every day has been a gift, because I was never going to be born. My family was poor, and a sixth child (me) was going to be more of a financial burden. Lucky for me the scheduled abortion didn't take place. Life in Cuba was very hard. We had very little money and everything was controlled by the government. My life started in a one-room house with eight of us sharing the space and very little food on the table. As I grew older, I knew I had to leave Cuba to seek opportunities to fulfill my dream of becoming a millionaire. I wanted to reach the land of opportunity...The United States of America. I never knew how hard it was going to be to fulfill that "dream". I'm not sure how much of my desire to succeed, resourcefulness & entrepreneurship comes from growing up in Cuba and how much is the personality I was born with.Read my story and experience the challenges of growing up in Cuba, the ups & downs of planning & executing my escape and finally see how I reached the land of opportunity. As you read my story, it's important to know that I've had a hard life, but I've never had a bad day!

What if you had to leave everyone you love and everything you know to start a new life-at age 13, by yourself? That's the story of Nelson A. Diaz, a successful engineer and real estate investor who fled Castro's Cuba alone as a teenager-to escape his certain fate as a soldier in the Cuban Army. Nelson's journey took him to two countries, six cities, and many adventures until he was reunited with his family in Miami, Florida. Then Nelson navigated the uncertainties as an immigrant, the prejudices as a Cuban-American, and the language barriers as a Spanish-speaker--all while simultaneously trying to survive adolescence! Nelson went on to found a successful real estate business in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and he shares his best business advice at the end of his book. Gracias, Fidel! is the quintessential success story, the underdog's triumph, and the American dream realized.