The labyrinthlike city’s size and the cacophony of English-speaking voices overwhelm the young boy at first. Escaping to Miami and the home of a distant relative, Cumba struggles to adjust to his new life without his family. When young Cumba is marked for military recruitment, his family decides to send him off to the United States. Neighbors whisper and conspire against each other, and those not loyal to Castro’s regime face punishment, even execution.

Mami tells Cumba that he has “to represent Cuba well.To escape the harsh realities of Castro’s Cuba, a 12-year-old boy must leave his family behind and flee to the United States alone.įollowing the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Fidel’s grip on Cuba tightens.What is Cumba's school experience like in Key Largo? How does it compare to his school experiences in Santa Clara and in Miami? How do Cumba’s experiences in school compare to your own?.What does Cumba usually have in his pocket? Why do you think he keeps it? Do you have an object that you always or often carry with you? What is its meaning to you?.Questions for Discussion or Reflective Writing Display their poems in construction paper “pockets” on a bulletin board. Have students write a poem about those objects and why they are important, remind them of home or family, or hold specific meaning for them.

Ask them to make a list of objects in their pockets and then choose up to five items. Then have students think about what the things they often carry in their own pockets (or backpacks or purses) reveal about them. Ask students to think about what pockets do-how they hide things we carry and also keep things close to us-and how that relates to Cumba’s experiences and emotional journey.

Talk with students about what the title of the book Cuba in My Pocket means.

Into my pocket