Linda Hardister Rodriguez

Fleeing the Sharks Linda Hardister Rodriguez

On January 8, 1959, the triumphant Fidel Castro leads his forces through the streets of Havana. Thousands of Cubans celebrate, cheer him on, and dream of a better life. The corrupt dictator Batista is gone and democracy is here in the form of this savior, Fidel.



No one is more excited than 14-year-old Francisco. He makes his way through the crowd to come face-to-face with his new hero.



A short 20 months later, Francisco fears for his life as Castro's government forces him to leave his family, his country, and his culture.



Fleeing the Sharks: A Cuban Family Story tells of a revolution's broken promises, of shattered families driven from their homes, and of a nation betrayed. For years, author Linda Hardister Rodriguez listened to her husband's Cuban family story and it caught hold of her imagination. The result is a story that places the reader in the shoes of a boy coming of age while one of the 20th Century's most formative events destroys the world as he has known it.