Bøger af Betty Viamontes

En abril de 1980, una familia es despertada abruptamente por fuertes golpes y gritos en su puerta. Los militares han venido por ellos. Es la época del éxodo del Mariel en La Habana, Cuba. No toda la familia podrá emprender este viaje rumbo a la tierra de la libertad. Dos hermanas, que han sido inseparables y compartido la misma casa en la calle Zapote, son separadas repentinamente. Una de ellas, Laura, se irá junto con sus tres hijos para reunirse con su esposo tras doce años de separación forzosa. La otra, Berta, se ha quedado junto a Antonio, su esposo, y sus hijas, puesto que no se les ha permitido partir. Como por arte de magia, tras el éxodo de Laura, Berta y su núcleo familiar se convierten en enemigos del estado. Muchos de sus vecinos, y hasta miembros de la familia, les dan la espalda. Enfrentan el terror constante de que turbas violentas, alentadas por el gobierno de Castro, los saquen de su casa para golpearlos, injuriarlos y hasta ajusticiarlos por su "traición". La familia teme por sus vidas. La familia ha enfrentado una constante y cruel lucha por mantenerse unida y por sobrevivir. Esta lucha, además de quitarles el sueño, la salud y las energías, les amenaza con destruir lo poco que les queda. Deben hacer todo lo posible para salir de la isla, juntos, y salvar sus vidas.

***Winner of the ILBA Mimi Lozano Best Family History Book, and from the author of the award-winning "Waiting on Zapote Street" and "Brothers: A Pedro Pan Story." Betty Viamontes, a multi-award-winning author, is celebrated for her honest and authentic storytelling that captivates readers from the first page. Her works, often rooted in true stories, are renowned for their engaging narratives._______>After Laura's exodus, Berta and her family become enemies of the state. Many of their neighbors and even family members turn their backs on them. For their "betrayal," the family faces the constant terror of being beaten, insulted, and even killed by violent government-sponsored mobs. They fear for their lives. The family faces a constant struggle to stay together and survive, a struggle that robs them of their sleep, health, and energy and threatens to destroy what little they have left. They must do everything they can to get off the island together and save their lives.

Teresa Piñeiro knew no fear. In 1960, pregnant, thirty-one-year-old Teresa Piñeiro, along with a group of men, appears in the local newspaper after she is arrested for trying to hijack an airplane to Miami. The daughter of a retired first lieutenant and professor of the Army and the granddaughter of one of the trailblazing Spanish families who established the town of La Palma in western Cuba, Teresa finds herself in a maximum-security prison where she confronts the Comandante en Jefe, Fidel Castro.Now, four generations of Teresa's family-her mother, her blind grandmother, her ten-year-old daughter, and eventually, Teresa's newborn son-find themselves entangled in a hurricane of ideologies where those in charge hold all the cards. The future of Teresa's family depends on her resiliency during trying times which drove some women like her insane.Teresa is a woman too advanced for her time. On her third marriage at the time of her imprisonment, Teresa has lived a fascinating life full of adventure that has allowed her to rub shoulders with the most prestigious families of the island. Now her past has come to haunt her, and only she will be able to save herself from what awaits._______Beginning with her first book, Waiting on Zapote Street, Mrs. Viamontes documented the terrors, losses, and triumphs of Cuban families. These are not stories of Cold War intrigue. Instead, they are the tales of common people caught up in the delusions of a monster. Most poignantly, they tell of aged grandparents hugging children that they would never see again.Most of Mrs. Viamontes' writing deals with the struggles of poor and middle-class families caught up in a social hurricane. The newest book, Raining Over Teresa, however, breaks new ground. It follows the life of the headstrong daughter of prominent planters who married into wealth. In a single day, she went from a world of privilege to the barbarity of a death prison. This true story gives readers a rare glimpse into a communist prison, headed by the legendary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. It also introduces us to Fidel Castro, not as a political leader, but as an arrogant interrogator, demanding summary executions. Raining Over Teresa, however, is much more than a prison memoir. Astonishingly, Teresa María Piñeiro did not die beside that lonely road where she was dumped. Instead, she began to walk. As I write this, she is 94 years old, retired from a successful career in the United States. Her large family lives throughout the world. Now thanks to the work of Betty Viamontes, a new generation will know how she survived. Raining Over Teresa is essential reading in America in the 2020s. In our "land of the free," college students declare "Free Expression" as reactionary. Speakers with opposing views are shouted off campus. Opposition politicians are indicted and their followers imprisoned. Violent mobs riot in our streets before elections. There has never been a better time to study the lives of Teresa and her thousands of compatriots before we lose our own precious freedoms. Betty Viamontes gives us a window into their world. Allen A. Witt PhDLead Author of America's Community College: The First Century

From the author of the award-winning "Waiting on Zapote Street" comes a story based on true events. In 1960's central Cuba, a young middle-class woman's life is interrupted as she finds herself a victim in what will quickly become a hurricane of world politics and idealistic dogma. "Betty Viamontes's books are not intended to be classic literature. Instead they are deliberately simple, about real people caught in an historical cataclysm. Like most holocaust memoirs, their strength lies in their simplicity. Ms. Viamontes tells a simple story of normal people, allowing the reader's imagination to fill in the detail. The result stays with you, long after the final virtual page is turned." Dr. Allen Witt.

Escrita por la autora de la galardonada novela Esperando en la calle Zapote, describe a los lectores una historia basada en hechos reales.En la Cuba de los años 60, se frena la vida de una joven de clase media cuando es víctima de lo que rápidamente se convertiría en huracán del dogma idealista y de la política mundial.Los libros de Betty Viamontes no pretenden ser libros de la literatura clásica. Al contrario, son deliberadamente simples, sobre personas reales atrapadas en un cataclismo histórico. Como la mayoría de las memorias del holocausto, su fuerza reside en su simplicidad. La Sra. Viamontes cuenta una historia simple de personas normales, permitiendo que la imaginación del lector llene los detalles. El resultado permanece con el lector, mucho después de que se doble la virtual página final. Dr. Allen Witt.

Las niñas de Pedro Pan, escrita por la autora de la galardonada novela Esperando en la calle Zapote, describe a los lectores una historia basada en hechos reales. En la Cuba de los años 60, Olivia y Clarisa son parte de la Operación Pedro Pan, un éxodo que trae a los Estados Unidos a más de 14,000 niños solos. Lo que debería haber sido una breve separación marcará y transformará sus vidas. Cincuenta y cinco años después, regresan a Cuba. ¿Encontrarán el cierre que buscan tan desesperadamente? ¿Lograrán reconciliarse con su pasado?Los libros de Betty Viamontes no pretenden ser libros de la literatura clásica. Al contrario, son deliberadamente simples, sobre personas reales atrapadas en un cataclismo histórico. Como la mayoría de las memorias del holocausto, su fuerza reside en su simplicidad. La Sra. Viamontes cuenta una historia simple de personas normales, permitiendo que la imaginación del lector llene los detalles. El resultado permanece con el lector, mucho después de que se doble la virtual página final. Dr. Allen Witt

Vivid and engaging short stories and an assortment of poems, most set on the location of the author's award-winning novel, "Waiting on Zapote Street," a book that continues to expand its international appeal. "Candela's Secrets and Other Havana Stories" is an eclectic collection of powerful stories with unexpected endings. In it, readers step into the streets of Havana and take a front seat to life in Cuba, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s. From each opening line, readers will become emotionally involved with its characters. "When Adela walked down Havana's Zapote Street with her short skirts and wavy black hair bouncing over her shoulders, men stared and women rolled their eyes."

"Se ha dicho muchas veces que la realidad supera la ficción. Es una frase tan manida que ha comenzado a caer en desuso. Sin embargo, hay libros que justifican su empleo. Este es el caso de Esperando en la calle Zapote, de la escritora cubanoamericana Betty Viamontes, quien se sintió obligada a escribir en su contraportada, a modo de advertencia, estas palabras: 'Este libro está basado en una historia de la vida real'. Aunque quizás, para preparar aún más al lector, pudo haber agregado: 'Es la historia de mi propia familia; la misma que mi madre, justo antes de morir, me pidió que contara'. Escrita utilizando dos voces narrativas -la de Laura, la madre; y la de Río, el padre- que se van alternando en cada capítulo, esta estupenda novela arranca con la salida de Cuba de Laura con sus tres hijos después de haber estado esperando durante doce largos años para reunirse con su esposo en Estados Unidos: 'Podía oler la sal del mar y escuchar las olas rompiendo contra el acero en aquella noche sin luna del mes de abril. Era 1980, el año en que todo cambió'. Sí, fue el año en que todo cambió. No solo para Laura y su familia, sino para cientos de miles de cubanos. Había comenzado lo que llegaría a conocerse como el éxodo del Mariel, uno de los episodios más vergonzosos ocurridos en la isla." Manuel C Díaz, El Nuevo Herald.

In 1961, Olivia and Clarisa become part of an exodus that brings over 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children to the United States: Operation Pedro Pan. What should have been a short separation will mark the transformation of their lives. Fifty-five years later, they go back to Cuba. Will they find the closure they so desperately seek?

Por la autora de la novela Waiting on Zapote Street (Esperando en la calle Zapote) ganadora del premio Latino Books Into Movies. Esta historia épica, basada en hechos reales, transporta a los lectores a la provincia de Camagüey, en el corazón de Cuba. En el año 1955, la germinación de las semillas de la revolución Castrista conllevará a los habitantes de un pueblecito a presenciar un cambio radical en sus costumbres y en su forma de vida. El pueblo, Arroyo Blanco, conocido por los arroyos que lo atraviesan, llenándolo de vida, está destinado a ser borrado por el tiempo y la política. Madeline, una joven arrastrada por las luchas políticas y sociales trata de sobrevivir y proteger a los que ama. ¿Encontrará Madeline amor y satisfacción, o fuerzas más allá de su control barrerán los restos de quién es?

From the award-winning author of "Waiting on Zapote Street," winner of the Latino Books Into Movies award. This epic tale, based on true events, transports readers to the province of Camagüey, in the Cuban heartland. In 1955, the seeds of Castro's revolution will lead a small town's inhabitants to witness a radical change to their customs and their way of life. The town, Arroyo Blanco (White Creek), known for the creeks that run through its core, filling it with life, is destined to be erased by time and politics. Madeline, a young girl swept up by political and social upheaval struggles for survival and to protect everything she knows. Will Madeline find love and fulfillment, or will forces beyond her control sweep away all remnants of who she is?

They are both on a collision course with destiny. Amelia, a single woman of faith in her mid-forties, lives with her family in the town of Remedios, located in the center of Cuba. For over twenty years, she has lived her life caring only for others and neglecting herself. In 2022, Frank leaves his home in Miami, Florida to learn about his deceased mother's life by visiting the town of Remedios. Once in the town of his mother's birth, he forges a friendship with Amelia, who connects him to his past, not knowing how much he will impact her life in the process. A creature of habit, Amelia resists his idea at first. Yet, that is about to change. But there is more to Remedios than meets the eye. It is a town struggling between darkness and light, a pillar of faith among despair, a place fighting for its own survival. In a town of ghosts and parrandas, people rooted in traditions still embrace hope as their world crumbles. Orchids in the Shadows, darkness can only be fought with light.

"Las narraciones de Betty Viamontes, son como el arca de Noé, recogen todos los especímenes para con-servar a la posterioridad, el perfil de un pueblo lanzado a un destino incierto."

Por la autora del galardonado libro "Esperando en la calle Zapote", otra saga épica que llevará a los lectores a un viaje inolvidable. Cuando la madre de Rodolfo Hernández lo obliga a irse de Cuba solo, nueve años después de que Fidel Castro llegara al poder, él no sospechaba los giros y vueltas que daría su vida. Pero nada podría prepararlo para su encuentro con su tío Arturo en Miami, un hombre con un pasado oscuro y secreto, a quien parecía importarle poco Rodolfo y cualquiera otra persona a su alrededor, un hombre quien le llevaría años entender. Cuando Rodolfo comienza el duodécimo grado en Miami High School, conoce a Lissy, una joven con lentes geek que se ofrece para ayudarlo a asimilarse en una nueva cultura y a dominar un nuevo idioma. Mientras Rodolfo lucha por entender a su tío, trata de comprender los cambios que están ocurriendo dentro de los Estados Unidos como resultado de la Guerra de Vietnam, y lidia con eventos imprevistos que sus padres enfrentan en Cuba, malinterpreta la motivación de Lissy por ayudarlo, un error que reconoce cuando es casi demasiado tarde. La Habana: El regreso de un hijo: un libro que los hará reir y llorar.

From the author of the award-winning "Waiting on Zapote Street," "The Dance of the Rose" is an exciting and inspiring novel, based on a true story, where the author, Betty Viamontes, recreates the moments that a family encounters through a series of transforming events. It is a novel about love, family, and finding one's purpose in life that will take readers on an amazing journey. In 1980, a mother and her three children reunite with the children's father after twelve years of separation. The oldest child is now fifteen. The father wishes to reignite his relationship with his children without realizing nothing will ever be the same.

It's the year 2021, in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, when twenty-four-year-old Lena Pérez discovers her grandfather's love letters. She has just ended a three-year relationship with Paulo Oliviera-a Brazilian ex-soccer player-after realizing he will never be accepted by her Cuban-American mother. She feels lost. Through the letters kept by the wounded Vietnam veteran Rolando Pérez, Lena learns about events that occurred long before her birth and took her grandfather from Cuba to the United States and Vietnam. Through these letters, she is able to peel the layers of who she is, learning about where her family comes from, uncovering secrets, and finding who she will become. ***"In her newest novel, award-winning author Betty Viamontes uses the first-person narrative and brilliantly exploits the epistolary approach. As in her prior works, she continues to describe life in Cuba.The novel is set in present day and is full of surprises that will keep you guessing what will happen next." -Susana Jiménez-Mueller, storyteller and podcaster, author of Now I Swim and The Green Plantain - The Cuban Stories Project podcast. About the Author>Her stories have traveled the world from the award-winning Waiting on Zapote Street to the No. 1 newest releases, The Pedro Pan Girls and The Girl from White Creek. Betty has published nine books, including the novel she wrote to fulfill the promise she made to her mother before she died. Despite Betty's mother's battle with cancer, she witnessed many of Betty's accomplishments. However, she was not able to see the publication of Waiting on Zapote Street, her story.In 2018, actor Edward James Olmos announced that Waiting on Zapote Street had been a winner of the Latino Books Into Movies Award. The Latino Author website also lists this autobiographical novel as one of the best ten books of 2016, and in 2017 and again in 2020, it became an Amazon bestseller in its category, after being selected by a United Nations women's book club and multiple others.Betty's life has been filled with many challenges, but she managed to survive those challenges and help others along the way.>Circumstances / Cuba / DNA results / Exile / Family / History / Love Letters / Grandfathers / Granddaughters / Relationships/ Second Chances

La danza de la rosa es una novela apasionante, donde la autora, Betty Viamontes, recrea los momentos que atraviesa una familia cubana, desde la fractura de un matrimonio que se ve obligado a soportar doce años de separación -el esposo en Estados Unidos y la esposa con tres hijos pequeños en Cuba- sosteniendo la ilusión del reencuentro frente a continuas adversidades. Esta obra, continuidad de Esperando en la calle zapote, narra el reencuentro de la familia y los esfuerzos de la madre, no solo para vencer el extrañamiento que pudo producir la distancia de los hijos y el padre -y de ella misma con su esposo- sino, especialmente, en su inserción en una cultura e idioma diferentes. La tenacidad, inteligencia y, sobre todo, el amor con que los padres pasan por encima de sus propios esquemas mentales a favor del crecimiento y triunfo de los hijos, hacen de esta novela una obra edificante, además del placer que produce una escritura pletórica de emociones.