When We Left Cuba

Discuss When We Left Cuba as a work of historical fiction, paying attention to how it uses historical events and frameworks as plot elements. Make an argument for how well you think the novel represents the earlier era, using examples from the novel as support. If you wish, research an actual event referenced in the novel and discuss how the novel chooses to portray it.

Explore how Beatriz’s relationships with her family in Florida help establish and characterize the tensions and differences between the US and Cuba. You may wish to focus on a single family member—father, mother, sisters, brother—or consider them as a unit. You may also consider what Eduardo represents as a connection to Cuba.

Discuss the prejudice that Beatriz senses against her in Palm Beach society. Do you suppose this is because she is beautiful, because she is Cuban, because she is not a native-born American, or something else? How does it impact Beatriz’s character to go from being admired (if slightly scandalous) in Cuban society to being suspect (and even more scandalous) in American high society?