By Florida Catholic staff - Florida Catholic
CORAL GABLES � St. Theresa School recently hosted local columnist and novelist Ana Veciana-Suarez, who spoke to eighth-graders and their grandparents about her book, �Flight to Freedom.�The eighth graders are reading the novel in conjunction with their social studies project on immigration.
�Flight to Freedom� is about a family's exile experience beginning in 1967 in Havana, Cuba, and ending a year later in Miami. The experience is seen through the eyes of the 13-year-old daughter, Yara, in a diary format.
�The story is about anyone�s experience as the new kid � anywhere,� said Veciana-Suarez.
Although the novel is historical fiction, Veciana-Suarez based the theme on her own experience. Having immigrated to Miami in 1962 from Havana at the age of six, she, too, felt the hardships that Yara goes through.
The eighth grade students were deeply interested in her story, and their grandparents, who also attended the event, felt they were able to bridge the gap between generations.
During the question-and-answer session, a grandfather told Veciana-Suarez, �Thank you for all you have done. I read your column, and I am glad we have had this experience.�
Another grandmother commented, �My father was from Sicily, and while she was speaking, I could hear my father.�
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Ana Veciana-Suarez signs Laura Moran's copy of "Flight to Freedom" during her visit to St. Theresa School in Coral Gables.
