In Property of the Revolution, Ana Hebra Flaster chronicles her family's experiences as Cuban immigrants establishing a life in the United States in the late 1960s. Against the backdrop of Cuba's political cataclysms and Castro's authoritarian leadership, six-year-old Flaster and her family were forced to leave their beautiful homeland and flee to the U.S. to carve a new beginning for themselves there. Adapting to life in New Hampshire presented challenges of its own. But Flaster's family was committed to building a new life in the U.S. Unfortunately, racism, prejudice, and social injustice were some of the challenges they faced as Latino immigrants. Part of this captivating memoir covers Flaster's personal experiences regarding her schooling, career, close family ties, and motherhood.

Property of the Revolution is Ana Hebra Flaster's journey of embracing her identity. It is a gripping memoir dedicated to family, heritage, survival, confronting past trauma, and acknowledging one's inner strength. Flaster delivers an unflinching description of her experiences, encounters, and feelings as a Cuban immigrant in the U.S. She provides readers with an authentic glimpse of a family shaped by political turmoil and the effects of immigration. Flaster’s ability to combine historical events with her personal experiences creates a memoir rich in knowledge and profound human connections. Her sincerity and resilience make this a compelling book that everyone should read. Her family's journey to survival--and her journey to closure and inner healing--makes this an absolute must-read. If you are a fan of inspirational memoirs and immigration stories, I encourage you to read this book.

Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town—A Memoir by Ana Hebra Flaster tells the story of her family's journey from supporting the revolution in Cuba to starting over as refugees in the U.S. Flaster brings their experience to life with vivid storytelling, showing how they struggled with exile, identity, and rebuilding in a new country. The book focuses on the strong women in her family who held onto their cultural roots while forging a new path in America. By blending history with personal stories, she gives readers a deep understanding of both the political turmoil they left behind and the resilience it took to start again. Her writing makes the Cuban exile experience feel real and personal, full of both hardship and hope.

Ana Hebra Flaster has a real talent for telling a complex story in a way that feels natural and heartfelt. What stood out to me most was how she captured the shifting sense of identity that comes with exile. Her writing moves smoothly between past and present, helping readers see how history shapes personal experiences. The women in her family shine in this story, their strength and wisdom coming through in a way that feels honest and inspiring. She balances the pain of leaving home with the hope of new beginnings, showing the difficulties of starting over while celebrating the traditions that keep a family grounded. I especially loved how she explored the way family traditions changed in their new home, making the story both deeply personal and universally relatable. Overall, Property of the Revolution is an essential read for anyone looking to understand the immigrant experience through a personal and beautifully written story.

Property of the Revolution reflects the trials of a family that escaped from Cuba during the dark days after the 1959 revolution was upended to become a communist takeover. Far from freeing Cuba from a cruel dictatorship, it unleashed a new wave of tyranny. Old scores were settled with brutality. Opponents of the regime were jailed or executed, while food and consumer goods were rationed. Personal property was confiscated by decree. The economy collapsed, hope for a better life was crushed, and political allegiances were brought into question. Ana Hebra Flaster was just six years old when her disillusioned family was granted leave to move to America. They left their vibrant but poor neighborhood with nothing and settled in New Hampshire. Ana describes the lot of an immigrant family trying to establish themselves in a new culture, with its language barriers and ingrained prejudices. The family clung to its conservative Cuban heritage while trying to be part of an unfamiliar and more liberal social structure. They drew strength from each other, their strong sense of community, and their roots. Caught between two worlds, Ana struggled with her quest for identity and wanting to fit in. In later life, she suffered from depression caused by her early childhood trauma.

Property of the Revolution brings into question the politics of insurrection, and how good intentions quickly unravel to benefit the few, rather than the many. Ana’s parents were staunch defenders of freedom and justice. In particular, her mother was forced to rethink her political views when the revolution went sour. Like her mother, Ana was a non-conformist, strong and independent. It is this inner resilience that shines through her writing. This is much more than a family history. It is a record of tumultuous events spanning the Cuban Revolution, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the missile crisis of 1962, plus the aftermath. Ana Hebra Flaster contrasts her family's life in America with flashbacks to the 1950s in Cuba. The true story of the Cuban revolution has not always been appreciated. Hopefully, this first-hand account will set the record straight. The attitude of Americans toward immigrants is examined frankly and from a human perspective. Polarized opinions worldwide are once again casting a dark shadow over immigration, and this memoir is a timely reminder that a new look is needed. It is also a testimony to maintaining strong family and community ties and remembering your roots. This is an utterly charming and engaging story written with depth and warmth that will both uplift and inspire. A most enjoyable book. It is highly recommended.

Property of the Revolution by Ana Hebra Flaster describes how she was raised in Juanelo, surrounded by four generations of her family. With the promise of removing the dictator Batista from power and restoring democracy and the 1940 constitution, many families, including Ana’s, supported the rebels led by Fidel Castro. To the disappointment of many, including Ana’s mother, things turn very bad for Cubans, with abductions and many people forced to lose their private property. The new regime was committed to changing Cuban society drastically at great cost. Ana’s parents apply to leave for the United States, and after a long, tedious process and loss of their home, they get permission to leave. How will things turn out for them as they navigate the language and cultural differences?

Property of the Revolution by Ana Hebra Flaster offers a glimpse into how things were in Cuba before and after the communist takeover. This wonderfully written memoir offers a unique perspective I did not consider before, like that of many Cubans supporting the rebels to topple the dictator Batista in hopes of a better Cuba. Ana ensured all events and places were vividly described, which helped to capture my imagination, and I loved the systematic flow of events, which left no room for confusion. This thought-provoking work also got me thinking about other issues, such as the impact of the Cuban revolution on literacy and education and other social aspects. This is a good book, and I am looking forward to reading something else by this talented author.

5 out of 5 starsBeautifully written, timely and emotional must-read
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2025
Format: Kindle
Verified Purchase
I highly recommend clearing your calendar before you start reading Property of the Revolution, because you will NOT want to put it down.

Ana Hebra Flaster’s riveting account of her family’s journey - from the political hotbed that their beloved Cuba had become to the icy and very foreign streets of Nashua, NH - is a must-read for anybody who wants to look beyond the headlines into the reality of the lives of the immigrant families who have helped shape modern America. It’s also a very timely read, with those headlines increasingly dominated by immigration and authoritarianism.

I could use a thesaurus of glowing adjectives to describe the brilliance of Ana’s story-telling, how quickly she draws you into the world of Abuela, Mami, and the Viejos – how fluently she translates their oral histories into a gripping, warm and emotional movie in your head. It’s so easy to become wrapped up in the struggles and heartbreak her family endures, as well as the joy they find in each other and every hard-earned success; and it is so inspiring to see the Hebras drawing on their deep well of resilience to move forward with their lives; to watch them arrive in the US with nothing but their courage, strength and family values, and invest those resources not just into their own lives, but their entire community.

In case you are still wondering, Property of the Revolution is an exceptionally great, and important, read. It strikes me as a modern “Everyman” story, representative of universal struggles and moral choices; the Hebra family experience, so beautifully narrated by Ana, provides a poignant mirror for all of us to reflect on our own lives and values.

Annabel Cable, on Amazon, 10/21/25

Kristina Amelong
5 out of 5 starsUnflinching Truths About Power, Memory, and Belonging
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2025
Format: Audiobook
Verified Purchase
There are books that argue. And then there are books that live inside your bones, books that shift the way you see the world even after you’ve turned the last page. Property of the Revolution is one of those.

The writing here is fierce, clear, unflinching. The author interrogates power—not only where it is obvious, but in its quiet, insidious mutations: ownership, legacy, who gets to claim history, and who’s erased from it. The voice is sharp and urgent, but always grounded in humanity. You feel the stakes not just in policy or ideology, but in everyday lives, relationships, the way memory unfolds.

What I appreciate most is the refusal of easy answers. This isn’t a manifesto that tells you what to believe—it’s a call to wake up, to pay attention to the stories we’re taught, the narratives we take for granted, and to ask: What does it mean to belong? What happens when we inherit systems we didn’t build?

This book sat with me. It made me angry and sad and hopeful, sometimes all at once. If you care about justice, about the shape of memory, about how revolutions are more than moments—they’re legacies—this will demand your attention.

Kristina Amelong, on Amazon, 9/19/25

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2026
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book is not only about leaving a communist regime but also about the loss of a past, loss of loved ones, the loss of what was and what could have been...all wrapped into what is possible. There is a real yearning to find oneself and to keep the connective tissue between culture and generations alive. I loved this book. I felt honest pride and hope, and deep sorrow while reading this. It is well written, has an easy cadence to get used to and will resonate with every reader about some part of their lives. Oh, and I cried through so many parts. Its cathartic for sure!

Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I loved this book from beginning to end! Property of the Revolution is a beautifully written memoir by Ana Hebra Flaster, that shares the emotional journey of her family’s escape from the harsh circumstances of Castro’s authoritarian Cuba, to new challenges and opportunities as refugees in Nashua, NH. With warmth, honesty, and depth, Flaster captures the disorientation and trauma of starting over and the hard work required to take advantage of new opportunities in an unfamiliar place. Both tender and vivid, this novel reveals how identity is rebuilt far from home, while holding on to Cuban roots through the love of family, and the strength of the elders who held her family together. Such a fabulous book – would also be perfect for High School Literature classes.

Ann E. Kagarise
5.0 out of 5 stars A raw, rare look into the life of an immigrant family
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book immersed me in the lives of a family torn apart by displacement, losing everything in the blink of an eye. Despite the hardships, their loyalty to one another never wavered; even through disagreements, they always found a way to reconcile and stand together. Ana not only shared their struggles, pains, and losses, but more importantly, she highlighted their incredible strength, resilience, and the way they triumphed over both a brutal regime and the weight of their own pasts. Caught between two worlds, Cuba and the United States, Ana’s journey is a powerful reflection of survival and identity. Thank you for taking us on this profound journey. It was a brilliant narrative and an

Fabio Hurtado
5.0 out of 5 stars Go beyond the cigars, rum, and music to understand Cuba and yourself!
Reviewed in the United States on July 8, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This is also the story of how strong family-centered women persevere, survive, grow, and love a family into being. You likely do not understand the story of Cuba and the generation of Cuban-Americans who came in the 1960s and 70s and made the U.S. a home as productive, law-abiding, civic-minded, proud Americans. But reading this deeply personal, honest, and emotionally charged text can help. It's also a family you connect with at the level of human values and the yearning to love and never let go of one another. Real life and real Cuba are all here and you will laugh and cry (I sobbed. But I am also Cuban-American!) with this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful, heart-rending story of exile and adaptation
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
In Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town—A Memoir, Ana Hebra Flaster brilliantly describes the trauma of leaving her home in Cuba at age six, resettling in the most opposite climate conceivable (New Hampshire), and the heart-rending loss of family left behind, property and home abandoned, dreams crushed. The story is an inside look at Castro’s Cuba and the distorted American perspective on the revolution, highlighted with colorful, heartfelt detail. This transplanted family exhibits fierce pride, loyalty, perseverance and love in ways that we can only envy, and Hebra Flaster paints the specific aspects of her story beautifully and with great skill. I highly recommend this book.

Beth Kreick
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommend Property of the Revolution!!
Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
This book captured my heart. The way Hebra Flaster so clearly paints a picture of both Cuba and her adopted home in the US is mesmerizing. It makes me want to visit the streets and homes in Juanelo as I feel somehow connected to them. This story of a family told so truthfully and proudly is one everyone should read to remind us how important family and home is, and why so many come to the US looking for what the viejos found in New Hampshire. Truly an amazing memoir filled with beautiful writing.

Mary E. Holden
5.0 out of 5 stars A Unique Story So Worth the Read!
Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was very captivated by Ana’s personal story (and the many stories within)…it moved me; informed me; upset me; enlightened me; endeared me; and overall opened my mind to the intricacies of the uniquely Cuban refugee story. Highly recommend!

J. Solomon
5.0 out of 5 stars A book to be read
Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Beautifully written memoir that makes you think deeply about immigration, emigration, assimilation, refugees and what is “home”. Everyone who has family that has arrived in America should read this, regardless of the year of arrival. This book truly speaks from the heart.

Karen Hoffman
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story!
Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
It is difficult out to put down this beautifully written and engaging story about a Cuban family’s journey to the US. Ana Flaster is an incredible writer as she depicts the love, struggle, and resilience of her family. I strongly recommend this memoir!

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended must-read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2026
Format: Paperback
An exquisitely written memoir that is both personal and profoundly, importantly historical. I understand so much more about the Cuban revolution than I ever did before and the heart-ache carried by anyone who decided to leave Cuba. This book weaves so many important themes together, of family, culture, politics, history, community, neighborhood, friendship, trauma, feminism, coming of age, and navigating a changing world while trying to understand the world one came from. I highly recommend this book!!

Katharyn D Waidler
5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful story about finding freedom in a new culture
Reviewed in the United States on April 14, 2026
Format: Paperback
Ana Hebra Flaster's memoir is so beautifully and poignantly written-- a powerful story of the emotional journey of resettling in a an entirely new environment after fleeing persecution by the violent Castro regime in Cuba. Ana recounts the story of her parents, her aunt and uncle, and her grandmother and their heartbreaking decision to leave Cuba and seek refuge in New England which she artfully weaves with her personal narrative as a young girl finding her place in a world very different from the one she left behind. Ana's storytelling is honest, insightful and at times humorous shedding light on the relational toll resettlement places on family members--those who must begin their lives anew in a very different culture, and those left behind suffering under an oppressive regime. I highly recommend this book!!