Online Author Talk | Ana Hebra Flaster on Exile, Memory, and the Meaning of Home

Join us online for an extraordinary online conversation with author and essayist Ana Hebra Flaster as we discuss her sweeping yet deeply intimate memoir Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town . Ana Hebra Flaster was six years old when her working-class family was kicked out of their Havana barrio for opposing communism. Once devoted revolutionaries themselves but disillusioned by the Castro government’s repressive tactics, they fled to the US. The permanent losses they suffered—of home, country, and loved ones, all within forty-eight hours—haunted her multigenerational family as they reclaimed their lives and freedom in 1967 New Hampshire. There, they fed each other stories of their scrappy barrio—some of which Hebra Flaster has shared on All Things Considered— to resurrect their lost world and fortify themselves for a daunting task: building a new life in a foreign land. Weaving pivotal events in Cuba–US history with her elders’ stories of surviving political upheaval, impossible choices, and “refugeedom,” Property of the Revolution celebrates the indomitable spirit and wisdom of the women warriors who led the family out of Cuba, shaped its rebirth as Cuban Americans, and helped Ana grow up hopeful, future-facing—American. Here’s how the fiercest love, the most stubborn will, and the power of family put nine new Americans back on their feet. Register today to gain a deeper, more personal perspective on the refugee experience and the enduring quest to define home. You can register for this free, live, online talk here. This is one of a series of free, live-streamed author talks made possible through the Library’s partnership with Library Speakers Consortium (LSC). You can learn more about upcoming presentations on our LSC microsite , as well as watch recordings of presentations that you were unable to attend live. About the Author : Ana Hebra Flaster is journalist and the author. A former child-refugee from Cuba, Ana’s work has