A Different Home: Cuban Americans: A Story Based on Real History (Hopes and Dreams)

This 80-page easy-to-understand reader is one of 12 historical novels in the Hopes and Dreams series, whose diverse and fascinating characters, regardless of their ethnicity, face prejudice, danger, hardships, and setbacks, but survive with perseverance, a little bit of luck, and a generous amount of love in their new home in the U.S. Downloadable audio recordings of all 12 novels and free supplementary materials for teachers are available for free.

Plot Summary:
In 1962 Mario Perez' parents sent him alone to work in the United States. He had been helping them run their sugar business after it was taken over by the Castro government. Mario arrived in Miami with a few clothes and little money. He got a job in a grocery store while he studied English. The Cuban Refugee Center found him a job in a bank, but not in Miami. He moved to Cleveland, Ohio and helped the bank work with Spanish-speaking customers. He did well. He became a citizen, married, had two daughters, and was elected to the school board. Then after 20 years, his parents were able to leave Cuba. He went back to Miami and hired a boat.

Features

• Free accompanying AUDIO program, available to download from http://prolingualearning.com or to stream on http://youtube.com/@ProLinguaLearningAudio
• Includes a downloadable Sample Lesson for classroom or independent study
• Includes a downloadable Teacher’s Guide with a Plot Summary, Discussion Questions, Historical Photos, and Detailed Background
• Includes downloadable Ready-to-use classroom activities: What Did You Read? Form, Book Report Form, Word Play and Fill-in-the-Blanks Review Activities
• Ideal for reading, discussion, and cross-cultural understanding in ESL or citizenship programs

Also in the “Hopes and Dreams” Series:

• The Family from Vietnam: Vietnamese-Americans
• A Different Home: Cuban Americans
• For Gold and Blood: Chinese-Americans
• Hungry No More: Irish-Americans
• Nobody Knows: African-Americans
• The Magic Paper: Mexican-Americans
• Sent Away: Japanese-Americans
• Little Italy: Italian-Americans
• Old Ways, New Ways: Jewish-Americans
• Neighbors: A Family from El Salvador
• Two Hearts: Irish-Americans

Tana Reiff, author of the Hopes and Dreams series holds a B.S. degree in elementary education and a master’s in secondary English with a concentration in applied linguistics. She has taught adult basic education, ESL, and college-level linguistics, and worked in multimedia communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Education. She is the author of dozens of hi-lo books (high interest, low reading level) for readers of all ages.