Summer With Fidel edition by RG Lawrence Literature Fiction eBooks
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Summer With Fidel
A boy, a baseball, and a friend. Sounds so simple, but life is not always as it seems.
The only life thirteen-year-old Danny Lester has ever known is moving every year, being harassed by bullies at new schools, and coming home every evening to a berating or beating from his sadistic father.
Living in an abusive, tormented world in Columbus, Ohio, Danny is given a second chance at finding happiness when he travels to Cuba with his father during the summer of 1964. While his father works illegally for the Cuban Department of Agriculture, Danny is placed with a host family on a farm near Pinar Del Rio, Cuba.
Working around the farm with the Machada family, swimming in the ocean every day, and adopting a stray dog are all new experiences for the boy. But what he really wants to do is to play baseball, an activity his father forbids.
And then Danny meets Mr.Fidel, a stranger he encounters on the beach of Pinar Del Rio. The two share the same love of baseball, and soon develop a friendship based on the Cuban national game. Mr. Fidel teaches Danny that life is like a baseball game, and the fundamentals of life, if learned well, will carry him to success in anything he does.
Finding a world of family, friendship, and love, Danny flourishes in the tropical country, all the while knowing in a few short months he will be returned to his nightmare in Ohio.
Or will he? As Danny grows closer to Mr. Fidel and the Machada family, a plan begins to develop in his head, a 1,000 to 1 shot that just might keep him in Cuba. Or it could backfire and return him to a worse hell than the one he had come.
It all depends on his friend, Mr. Fidel, and if the man has any political clout in Havana.
Summer With Fidel edition by RG Lawrence Literature Fiction eBooks
One of the most common variants of the coming-of-age novel is the story of the alienated youth who meets that one special adult who teaches him or her some very important life lessons and winds up changing the youth's life for the better. This type of story has been told so often that I thought it was practically impossible to put a fresh spin on it. Then I read "Summer with Fidel" by R.G. Lawrence, a charming book with one of the most unlikely mentors a fictional young man has ever found.Fidel, of course, is Fidel Castro, and the young man in this book is Danny Lester, a 13-year-old who has moved around his entire life, as his father, a soil scientist, went from assignment to assignment. Danny's father is a sadistic, misanthropic brute, who periodically beats Danny savagely. It's the summer of 1964, and Professor Lester's current assignment is highly clandestine, helping the Castro government improve farming methods in order to boost crop yields. He and Danny illegally enter Cuba and are housed at the plantation of the formerly well-to-do Machada family, whose land was seized by the Castro government. Despite being forced to house the Lesters, the Machadas soon take Danny under their wing.
In many ways, Danny's story is typical for this genre. He quickly befriends local youths, learns about farming and the history and traditions of Cuba, and meets his first love. Author Lawrence has a great feel for the Cuban setting, and his descriptions of life on the farm and in the town where Danny occasionally goes seem very accurate. In addition, Lawrence's descriptions of Danny's budding puppy love and the deepening bond between him and the childless Machada family, who soon view him as the son they never had, are quite evocative.
Eventually, however, Fidel arrives, and "Summer of Fidel" becomes something quite unique. Danny's favorite swimming spot happens to be right down the beach from one of Fidel's residences, and the large, bearded man regularly sees Danny swimming and eventually starts teaching him the basics of baseball, something Danny's father never would. For a long time, the politically naive Danny fails to see the connection between his friend, Mr. Fidel, and Castro, the government leader who seized the Machadas' farm.
Lawrence has to walk a fine line in his portrayal of Cuban politics in "Summer with Fidel," and, for the most part, he succeeds. He doesn't gloss over the fact that the Cuban government seized land and often made life more difficult for the farmers. However, in Lawrence's version of history, Fidel personally wasn't responsible for the worst decisions; instead, he went along with what his advisors like Che Guevara wanted. This rationalization is a bit too facile and doesn't quite work, but it's necessary for storyline purposes, and Lawrence has created such an idyllic scenario that it's easy for readers to accept. In addition, Lawrence has made the Machadas more significant characters in the book than Mr. Fidel ever becomes, so the bonds of affection run far deeper between Danny and them than any feelings he develops for Castro.
Despite what some who are reading this review might think by now, "Summer with Fidel" is not a liberal, worker's paradise manifesto. In fact, the book's token liberal is the despicable Professor Lester, who, rather hypocritically, believes in the ideals of socialism but despise the peasants with whom he must deal. Instead, the book is a charming story about the land and the ordinary, hard working people of Cuba and about one boy who learns a lot about life from some of them, and a little bit about baseball from one stranger in particular.
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Summer With Fidel edition by RG Lawrence Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
If you want a snapshot of the complexity that is Fidel, you must read this book. Though it is a novel, it shows how complex some situations are, and how there are often no easy answers. Personally, I loved this book, and didn't want it to end. And though the ending horrified me on one level, it was actually satisfying on another. A must read if you like answers to moral dilemmas that don't just tie everything up in a neat package that works out well for everyone.
Sometimes the person we know isnt the person everyone else knows. This isnt a political piece at all, but a book of a desperate desire to find love and acceptance. wonderful.
Another amazing novel by R.G. Lawrence. He's been one of my favorite authors for a while, and I love this one too. An enjoyable coming-of-age story that involves baseball... how can you not like it? I really enjoyed the characters, even the bullies, and the main story line. If you like more light-hearted (with some drama), nostalgic, baseball or coming-of-age stories - READ THIS ONE. And anything else RG wrote. )
"Summer With Fidel" is a tender and engaging coming of age story. Danny Lester has never known love. His father despises him and tells him repeatedly what a burden he is, usually just before he beats him. Danny has one passion in his life, baseball. He is crushed when his father accepts an illicit job in Cuba, just as he is finally going to be able to play litte league ball. In Cuba he will find lovw he never dreamed of and a man named Mr. Fidel who loves baseball even more than him.
Mr Lawrence has written something rare, a fine story told with humor and tenderness.
"Summer With Fidel"... Not the type of title of book that would interest me. I didn't want to read it, just because of that. A friend asked me to read it as a favor to him, I said that I would and so I did.
Turns out to be one of the most precious stories I've ever read. It's triumphing in-spite of violence and humiliation. A boy being able to experience what it's like to be part of a positive environment, helps give him hope. Personally, that means a lot. This story is about overcoming being beaten down.
This story is vivid and real. Makes you laugh and cry and smile at the end. I'd honestly recommend this story to anyone and to everyone.
I've read this author's 3 books. He hits a home-run with every single one.
"Summer with Fidel" is the tale of a boy's entry into manhood, but it has some intriguing twists that set it quite apart from many other stories that share that basic premise.
Danny Lester is the only son of an abusive father and a deceased mother. His memories of her are vague and not particularly comforting to him as he struggles to cope with the insecurity and disappointments that plague us all during adolescence. He has a rougher situation than most, being constantly uprooted at that critical age as he is dragged from place to place.
His father, a soil scientist, is always on the move, always changing jobs, and has no time or sympathy for Danny's plight; in fact, we discover that he harbors a great deal of resentment toward Danny. Watching Danny overcome the obstacles impeding his transition to manhood will bring tears at several points and laughter at others. Mr. Lawrence's skill enables us to feel the pain and the joy that Danny felt as he made his successful journey to adulthood.
Too much detail as to the unique aspects of the story itself might spoil it for future readers, but knowing that R. G. Lawrence is a master storyteller whose pacing and character development are extraordinary should be sufficient reason for anyone to read this book. A writer myself, I mostly read fellow Independent authors, and I put R. G. Lawrence in the front rank. He's a skilled journeyman, and the opportunity to read his work should not be missed.
Enjoyed this book alot
One of the most common variants of the coming-of-age novel is the story of the alienated youth who meets that one special adult who teaches him or her some very important life lessons and winds up changing the youth's life for the better. This type of story has been told so often that I thought it was practically impossible to put a fresh spin on it. Then I read "Summer with Fidel" by R.G. Lawrence, a charming book with one of the most unlikely mentors a fictional young man has ever found.
Fidel, of course, is Fidel Castro, and the young man in this book is Danny Lester, a 13-year-old who has moved around his entire life, as his father, a soil scientist, went from assignment to assignment. Danny's father is a sadistic, misanthropic brute, who periodically beats Danny savagely. It's the summer of 1964, and Professor Lester's current assignment is highly clandestine, helping the Castro government improve farming methods in order to boost crop yields. He and Danny illegally enter Cuba and are housed at the plantation of the formerly well-to-do Machada family, whose land was seized by the Castro government. Despite being forced to house the Lesters, the Machadas soon take Danny under their wing.
In many ways, Danny's story is typical for this genre. He quickly befriends local youths, learns about farming and the history and traditions of Cuba, and meets his first love. Author Lawrence has a great feel for the Cuban setting, and his descriptions of life on the farm and in the town where Danny occasionally goes seem very accurate. In addition, Lawrence's descriptions of Danny's budding puppy love and the deepening bond between him and the childless Machada family, who soon view him as the son they never had, are quite evocative.
Eventually, however, Fidel arrives, and "Summer of Fidel" becomes something quite unique. Danny's favorite swimming spot happens to be right down the beach from one of Fidel's residences, and the large, bearded man regularly sees Danny swimming and eventually starts teaching him the basics of baseball, something Danny's father never would. For a long time, the politically naive Danny fails to see the connection between his friend, Mr. Fidel, and Castro, the government leader who seized the Machadas' farm.
Lawrence has to walk a fine line in his portrayal of Cuban politics in "Summer with Fidel," and, for the most part, he succeeds. He doesn't gloss over the fact that the Cuban government seized land and often made life more difficult for the farmers. However, in Lawrence's version of history, Fidel personally wasn't responsible for the worst decisions; instead, he went along with what his advisors like Che Guevara wanted. This rationalization is a bit too facile and doesn't quite work, but it's necessary for storyline purposes, and Lawrence has created such an idyllic scenario that it's easy for readers to accept. In addition, Lawrence has made the Machadas more significant characters in the book than Mr. Fidel ever becomes, so the bonds of affection run far deeper between Danny and them than any feelings he develops for Castro.
Despite what some who are reading this review might think by now, "Summer with Fidel" is not a liberal, worker's paradise manifesto. In fact, the book's token liberal is the despicable Professor Lester, who, rather hypocritically, believes in the ideals of socialism but despise the peasants with whom he must deal. Instead, the book is a charming story about the land and the ordinary, hard working people of Cuba and about one boy who learns a lot about life from some of them, and a little bit about baseball from one stranger in particular.
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