About the Author

"Pablo Betancourt was born poor in Havana, Cuba in 1958, the son of Raul Betancourt, a longshoreman and Lilia Gulian, a housewife. Revolutionary ardor and scholastic ability propelled Betancourt from one of Havana's meanest neighborhoods to a boarding school for special scholarship students. Later, his brains and militancy pointed him toward a coveted career in foreign trade at the University of Havana. But on the way his enthusiasm cooled. The more questions Betancourt asked as he rose higher on the educational ladder, the more the answers provided by his teachers were suspect. Instead of winding up with a job at the Cuban foreign trade ministry, Betancourt wound up spending five nights at sea on a homemade raft." - JOSE DE CORDOBA, MIAMI HERALD Staff Writter

Spanish Translation:
"Pablo Betancourt nacio pobre en La Habana, Cuba en 1958, hijo de Raul Betancourt, un estibador y Lilia Gulian, una ama de casa. Su ardor revolucionario y alto rendimiento academico lo condujo hacia una carrera codiciada en Comercio Exterior en la Universidad de La Habana. Pero en el camino, su entusiasmo se enfrio. En lugar de acabar con un trabajo en el Ministerio de Comercio Exterior de Cuba, Betancourt termino pasando cinco noches en el mar en una balsa de fabricacion casera. "La saga de una familia cubana y la fascinante historia de un joven que nacio y se crio con la Revolucin, que arriesgo su vida durante cinco dias en medio de una tormenta en el Oceano Atlantico, rodeado de tiburones. Un testimonio de la fortaleza del espiritu humano y una historia notable sobre el viaje mas magico: el viaje hacia la libertad." - JOSE DE CORDOBA, MIAMI HERALD Staff Writter