Publication Date: April 22, 2025
In this sweeping, historical, yet intimate memoir, the author details her family’s transformation from pro-Castro revolutionaries in a scrappy Havana barrio to refugees in a New Hampshire mill town—a timeless and timely tale of loss and reinvention.
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 viejos’—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. But what happens when deeply buried childhood memories resurface, demanding an adult’s reckoning?
Here’s how the fiercest love, the most stubborn will, and the power of family put nine new Americans back on their feet.
Ana Hebra Flaster has sat down at a metaphorical kitchen table and invited readers to pull up a seat as stories are remembered, then poured out about an emotional account of leaving Cuba after Castro takes over.
Property of the Revolution is her memoir beginning in the barrio as a first grader on the night that the government will allow some family members to leave. But leaving involved chaos, shame, uncertainty, and, worst of all, leaving behind people, all possessions, and “home”.
Anita’s Mami was a supporter of Castro’s revolution. But soon into his takeover, she realized his promises would not be fulfilled. There was a way to leave, but the process involved an application and a handing over of every possession, then waiting three years as the family was shamed. When the application was granted, it was sudden, and the family was given only a couple of hours to say goodbye to their home. Without knowing the sacrifices that would be made, but having lived through the food shortages and revoking of personal privileges and dignity, Anita’s family had little choice but to leave all they knew and loved.
The story is told through memories and present-day events that reflect the consequences of becoming a refugee. Anita spoke from her experience yet also described the heartbreak of the elders of her family as they tried to assimilate. What makes this telling very intimate is the close relationship between Anita’s parents, siblings, grandmother, and aunt. This stemmed from the close quarters as they lived together for financial survival and how they held onto the culture they longed to keep alive.
Although the memoir was emotionally immersive, it wasn’t always an easy read for me. There were many Spanish phrases that were lost to me, and without completely understanding the Cuban crisis, which began in 1959 and continues today, there were parts I didn’t truly comprehend. Yet the plight of this family is an important read. It holds the reader to face the truth of what drives people from their homelands and why the risks they face are accepted with a bravery that those who live with freedoms cannot begin to fathom.
Property of the Revolution is a timely memoir important enough to set aside political identities and journey back with a small child who faced exile from Cuba and her family, who sacrificed nearly everything for freedom. Then witness the passage of time that brought a chasm of cultural loss and a deep appreciation for America’s opportunity. 
Ana Hebra Flaster has written about Cuba and the Cuban American experience for national print and online media including The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Boston Globe. Her commentaries and storytelling have aired on NPR and PBS’s Stories from the Stage. She loves watching birds, walking in the woods, and chatting with just about anyone. After almost forty years in the Boston area, she recently moved back to southern New Hampshire with her husband, Andy, and their Havenese pups, dog, Luna and Beny Moré.
