Next Year In Havana by Chanel Cleeton

What would happen if there was talk of a revolution?  What would you do?  Would you continue to support the current government, or would you watch, wait, and bide your time?  What would happen to you?  To your family?  To your friends?  Could you walk away from the country and never know when you might return? If ever?

Marisol is traveling to Cuba to write a travel article about its beaches, restaurants, and the beauty of the island.  She is also surreptitiously carrying her grandmother's ashes because being buried in Cuba was her grandmother's final wish.  The travel article is supposedly the main reason she is in the country, but really, the main reason is to scatter her grandmother's ashes somewhere on the island.  Her grandmother never gave Marisol any indication where she wanted her ashes scattered, so it is up to Marisol to decide the most fitting place.

Marisol received many warnings from her great aunts to be vigilant while on the island, but with the death of Fidel Castro, she feels that she will be safe. The Perez family fled the island shortly after Fidel Castro became the dictator of the island and began executing anyone who had ties to the former president, Batista.  Marisol doesn't realize that anyone with the Perez name will be on the radar of Cuban officials. 

Marisol's journey to learning her grandmother's story, and the stories of those of her aunts and uncle leads to even more questions, fear for those she has come to love, and a romance.  The sights and smells of Cuba make it a tantalizing place to visit, but the people of Cuba are still victims of an authoritarian society, so life is still very difficult for most residents of the country. This book is a wonderful read, and just getting to know the island and its proud people makes the story. 

The people of Cuba are survivors.  They will continue to fight for their cause and their rights.

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari

Where is technology leading us?  Are we making advancements so rapidly that we do not fully understand all of the possible consequences?  How can we fight terrorism?  Is religion even relevant in these time?  How do we decide what is truth, and what are untruths that are repeated so often that we come to believe them?  "In Mein Kampf Hitler wrote, 'The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over.'" We hear the lies, and then they are no longer lies, but truths.

We are living in a world where fake news can help determine a national election.  One can search online for a particular pair of shoes, or a certain business, and then an algorithm is created that starts sending you information about things you 'like."  What can one person do? 

This book helped me understand why I continually feel so helpless with the matters of the world.  What is the future of humans?  How can we deal with some of society's greatest challenges when many people are trying to raise their families, make a living and are not personally affected by some of these issues?

I had to put this book down several times as there is a lot of information to digest.  "If you feel overwhelmed by the global predicament, you are on the right track.  Global processes have become too complicated for any single person to understand."  So, take your time with this book.  Read it. Put it down, then continue reading as there are some glimmers of hope within its pages as well.

There were a lot of takeaways from this book, but here are a few that I will share within this blog.  "Democracy is founded on the idea that the voter knows best." Harari points out that most humans make their decisions based on emotion rather than any rational decision.  The voter may be using his vote to keep "autonomy and power" for himself or others like him.

Harari also recommends that if you want reliable information, pay for it!  If you get your news for free, then you may not be getting an accurate version.  (Social media - I am looking at you!  Social media users - I am looking at YOU if you read it, believe it, and share it!) Don't be part of the problem.

And finally, as an educator, this book made me think about how much information I give my students.  Havari states that students don't need any more information, but they need the ability to process and make sense of the information.  Students need to be able to figure out what information is important and what is not.  We don't know what skills our students will need in twenty-five years, but they will need general life skills.  Our students may have to continually reinvent themselves to order to find employment as jobs that were available when I was a student are now automated.  What other jobs will be automated within the next five years?  What other jobs will be created?  How can we prepare our students for jobs that don't even exist?

Once you read this book. let me know your thoughts.  Let's talk.