°

Homepage / Miami News
Text Size

Book About Cuba Raises Concern From Parent

Cuban Immigrant Says 'Vamos A Cuba' Doesn't Accurately Represent Life There

POSTED: Thursday, April 6, 2006

A children's book about traveling to Cuba is no longer on a library shelf at a Miami elementary school after a complaint from a parent.

School officials said the Spanish-language travel book "Vamos a Cuba" was pulled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas Elementary School after a parent who emigrated from Cuba said the book doesn't accurately represent life in the country.

"He finds it very offensive, given his experiences living in Cuba, and so he's asked us to reconsider having it on the shelves in one of our elementary schools," said Joe Garcia, spokesman for Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

The book is geared toward second- and third-grade readers, and details the events and institutions in Cuba born under Fidel Castro's regime.

School officials said the book includes images of smiling children wearing uniforms of a communist youth group and a carnival celebrating the Cuban revolution of 1959.

In a letter to the school board, Superintendent Rudy Crew states that the book paints those events in a benign way and has called for the removal of the book from all schools.

But Howard Simon with the American Civil Liberties Union said he wonders if the school district is jumping the gun because of one disgruntled parent. No other complaints about the book have been reported.

"In the end, we have to be true both to the constitution and we have to be true to what's good for the education of the children," said Simon. "You don't educate children in this country by keeping information from them."

That information, parent Maria Rodriguez believes, needs to be the truth.

"If they're going to read something, let it be the truth, not growing up thinking that the kids in Cuba are living happy lives and that they're free and that they have all the rights that all the other kids in the world have, which they don't," said Rodriguez.

An English-language edition of the book is titled "A Visit to Cuba." Either the English- or Spanish-language book is available at more than 20 schools in the district.

Sponsored Links

Links We Like
Sponsored Content
Having trouble selling your home? These tips will make your property a hot commodity. More

Sitting at a desk all day is a one way ticket to poor fitness. Find out how you can work to stay in shape regardless of your work situation. More

Feeling bloated or uncomfortable after eating? Try these five recipes and find out why they are so good for digestion. More

Strokes affect families every day. With these strategies, you can help your parents reduce their risk and reduce your own too. More

Most Popular