90 Miles to Havana

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

On January 1, 1959, the Cuban Revolution resulted in the defeat and exile of the existing ruler, Fulgencio Bautista, often called a “brutal dictator.” This revolution changed the shape of Cuba’s government as well as the way of life for most people. Think about what it might mean to live somewhere that undergoes a “revolution.” How would a revolution change a person’s life? What do you know about or what do you imagine changed in the lives of people in Cuba because of this revolution?

Teaching Suggestion: As students may not be familiar with the Cuban revolution specifically, use this prompt as an opportunity to introduce the concept of a revolution in history. This question directly links with the setting of the novel, and can also be used as either an in-class discussion question, incorporating the links below in the material for class, or as an at-home research assignment. For the purposes of this question as well as the novel, students should understand that the policies enacted by the Cuban government post-revolution led to a dramatic increase in emigration of many Cubans from their country of origin to neighboring nations, such as the US.

• For more information regarding the ebb and flow of emigration from Cuba into the US, read the Migration Policy Institute, which provides a detailed overview of “exodus” patterns. This site includes text and a table that shows how a significant pattern of immigration increased many times over with the revolution.
• History.com has a concise account of pre- and post-1959 revolution events in Cuba.

Short Activity

For many reasons, including concerns about the policies of revolutionary Cuba and the future of their country, many parents in Cuba between 1960 and 1962 decided to send their children to the US with the help of the US government. These children entered the US without their parents through a program called Operation Pedro Pan. Investigate Operation Pedro Pan using scholarly online resources. Note brief answers to the following questions:

• Who created the program and why?
• Where did children live when they arrived in Cuba from the US?
• What was the journey and arrival like for children?
• Why might the program have been named “Pedro Pan”?

Share and compare the information you discover with your classmates.

Teaching Suggestion: The following resources may be helpful in student research. Small groups might divide the questions and share answers. Additionally, you might ask a small group to find and compile visual images representing Operation Pedro Pan for sharing.

• “Pedro Pan: A Children’s Exodus from Cuba” is a brief Smithsonian article with information and images.
• “Operation Pedro Pan: The Cuban Children’s Exodus” describes a museum in Miami that documents the experience of several adults who participated in the program as children. Note that this site notes “freedom from communism” as the major motive for this exodus, while Julian’s journey in the novel suggests more multiple motives.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Think about what it means to you to be a “hero.” What experiences have you had (or know about for others) in which you wanted to be heroic? Did you succeed or fail?  How does the idea of a hero connect to questions of courage and fear?

Teaching Suggestion: You might let students know that the main character, Julian, struggles with the questions about being heroic, and the accompanying issues of courage and fear, in this coming-of-age story they will be reading. It might also be beneficial to connect students’ new knowledge of Operation Pedro Pan and the ways in which leaving one’s family to travel and live in another place can be heroic.

Differentiation Suggestion: For students who prefer visual representations, this Personal Connection Prompt can be expressed through activities such as making a collage or drawing or painting images that express being heroic or feeling or conquering fear. Encourage students to share their visual representations with the class orally.