I finished the book because it was a Quiz Bowl book pick for my state. Unfortunately, it was a bit slow and uninteresting.

[I had my reviewer cover this; this is her review]
In 1961, Cuba’s new president, Fidel Castro, proclaimed a “war on illiteracy.” He enlisted an army of volunteers, some not yet in their teens, to travel to areas of the country where people had no access to education and teach them how to read. His goal was to wipe out illiteracy within his nation in one year.

In this fictional account based on Castro’s initiative, 13-year-old Lola is determined to become a brigadista, a member of the young literacy workers’ brigade. With her grandmother’s help, Lola persuades her reluctant parents to allow her to leave her sheltered life in Havana to go to a rural community where she will encounter hardship and possibly even danger—it is well known that a prominent literacy worker was murdered by rival political forces.

Though Lola is resolute, she struggles with fears: Will I be a good teacher? Will older men whom I have to teach oppose me? Will my life be threatened?

Lola moves in with a rural family. She grows to love them as she works alongside them during the day and teaches them and their neighbors in the evening. When they encounter life-threatening danger, Lola must decide: Will I finish my term? Or will I flee to the safety of my home in Havana?

In this enlightening juvenile novel, Katherine Paterson, renowned author of Jacob Have I Loved and Bridge to Terabithia, captures the dreams and idealism of Lola and her nation. In the author’s notes, Paterson writes, “My Brigadista Year is by no means intended to be a full or balanced account of all events occurring in Cuba in the year 1961. Fidel Castro committed many evils against his enemies, some of whom originally fought on his side for freedom from Batista but felt betrayed by actions of the new government when small farms were seized and innocent families relocated or put in camps.”

Through writing about Lola, Paterson was blessed with the adventure of seeing the world “through the eyes of a young person in a society quite different from my own.” Juvenile readers will benefit from her adventure, as well. Ages 10 and up. (Candlewick Press)

I loved this book! The full review will be posted soon at kaitgoodwin.com/books! Thank you very much for this wonderful opportunity to connect books to their readers!

Wow. Surprising book about a 13 year old girl with such strength and courage. She wants to leave home at a very young age, and become a Brigadista. What follows is her account of her year bringing literacy to those in impoverished areas. The accounts of sleeping on floors and meeting male resistance are all well written and a breath of fresh air from another perspective.

I've always thought Cuban history was fascinating. I've heard, my whole life, how awful Cuba's government was, not only from from our government, but from Cubans who lived around me, as well. I'm still not really surFun ride of a story! These are my favorites; ones with lots of supernatural critters, magic, and kids. I loved the the first two Harry Potter books, Inkheart, Magick, Miss Peregrine, and so many others! It's frustrating being a kid, especially staring at 10 or 11 for most of us. Everything is hurry up and wait! Grown ups are sooo frustrating! I am sure this book will have found it's audience pretty quickly in the 10-13 year old age group by now! It's that good!e what all the politics was a bout, but I enjoyed this well researched book by Katherine Paterson. I know Castro worked very hard to bring his island into the 20th century and though I'm not familiar with the literacy program written about in this book, it sounds like a plan that worked. Times were certainly different back then. Makes me wonder how our children came to remain children even into their 30's.... great read for all ages, I think. I like that the book has a 13 year old girl bring so independent, may she can serve as a role model.

I learned a lot from My Brigadista Year. Because I took so many Spanish classes, I have a particular interest in Hispanic culture and I enjoyed how focused Paterson’s book was. To me, those are always the most interesting historical fiction books. I can’t imagine leaving home at 13 to teach someone else how to read in a dangerous environment! However, I didn’t feel like I really got to know the characters well. So overall, it was ok.

My Brigadista Year is a coming of age story in which readers can really see how much Lora matures between April and December 1961. As Lora confronts various problems and difficulties, she learns to figure out the best way to solve them. The story is told from Lora's perspective, in the first person, and although I feel like she is a very flat character, she does a good job of narrating what she is going through. In fact, none of the characters really stood out for me, nor did I feel they were very memorable. What probably will stick with me the most is the information Paterson included about the literacy program.

Interestingly, Paterson really seems to have taken pains to keep My Brigadista Year relatively free of partisan politics. She neither promotes Castro's Cuba, only mentioning communism once throughout the novel, nor does she presents the United States as a better alternative. Paterson also touches on social attitudes based on skin color. Lora says her mother kept her out of the sun so her skin doesn't get a dark tan, something that Lora resents. Yet, she is quite taken with Marissa, one of her roommates at Varadero, thinking what a beautiful girl she is with her light tan skin, clearly indicating that light skin is more valued than darker skin. Later, in the country, this is reinforced when her friend Maria falls for a very dark skinned boy, but is devastated when her family forbids her to have anything to do with him. None of this is followed through, however, just there for readers to draw their own conclusions.

My Brigadista Year is a very interesting though rather at times a didactic work of historical fiction based in real events. And although Cuba's past is not a history most young Americans are familiar with, this book will only give them cursory information about Cuba in the early 1960s. It is up to the reader to explore Cuba's history further. By the way, the literacy program was one of Cuba's most successful campaigns after Castro took over, bringing the literacy rate there down from approximately 23% to 4%.

Be sure to read the Author's Note for background information on the brigadista program and Paterson's reasons for writing this novel. There is a helpful map at the front of the novel, and a very useful timeline of Cuban history at the back of it.

I'm ashamed to admit that I had not realized that Katherine Paterson wrote the book when I first picked it up. As someone who is half-Cuban, I was curious to see how this aspect of Cuban history was portrayed. The answer is surprisingly well. I think the fact that it feels like a memoir helped this tale of a young woman who participates in a literacy outreach program in Cuba.

This was a fascinating book. As someone who has gone to Guatemala several times and seen the poverty, illiteracy, and living conditions, I think books like this open the eyes of our students to life beyond our borders. Even more, this book helps to erase some of the stigma related to Cuba and I think that it important as well. I look forward to sharing this book with my students.

I really enjoyed this. This is nicely paced historical fiction about the literacy campaign in Cuba in the 1960's. It's told from the perspective of a 14 year old girl who volunteers as a teacher for the campaign.

Parents and teachers will love the historical notes at the end of the book as well as the listed source material.

Kids will love that it's an adventure story that moves along nicely with enough suspense to hopefully keep kids reading. I really enjoyed reading more fiction based on Cuban history, my first exposure being "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao". Though there is some overlap in timelines, I do not remember the literacy campaign being mentioned in that book, so, it was all new to me.

There is some violence in the book but it isn't described, it's just reported. There is no romance really in the book other than a friend of the main character has a crush on a boy which doesn't seem to be reciprocated. I never realized that having lighter skin was important in some sectors of Cuban culture until I read Oscar Wao. That also appears here, but, briefly.

The only thing that gives me any pause is that Katherine Paterson is not Cuban. I could not find any complaints about inaccuracies in this book, so, for now I'm overlooking that.. lol

Overall, I definitely recommend this to kids who enjoy historical fiction and adults who like reading juvenile fiction.

Most of us don't actually know much about Cuba's history and culture. When we were growing up, Cuba was a shadowy villain, a trickle down from the Cold War. Now that routes to Cuba are starting to open, that's going to change and books like this one will help. I was blown away by the facts of this year of Cuban history, the huge effort to bring the entire Cuban nation into a more educated culture. For the history buff, this will be a fascinating read. For others, it's perhaps a slow read.

I will preface this review with the admission that historical fiction is not my favorite, so it's a little tough for me to review.

This was an interesting story. I had not heard of Cuba's "brigadistas" before reading this book. Lora's story is compelling, although I'll admit the epilogue was a bit, I don't, maybe a little boring? This book tells about the difficulties she faced in working with (and winning over) the families she taught, and there is a bit of danger as the teachers are targeted by militia's trying to undo Catro's work. The story is told in first person, so we get an intimate view of Lora's thoughts and feelings. She is not a perfect girl, she has doubts, fears, and jealousies, but for the most part she has a good heart and believes strongly in her role as a literacy teacher.

I'm not sure I'll purchase this for my library. I don't love the cover and I don't have a lot of avid historical fiction readers, so I just don't know if it would circulate. It might be a good suggestion for teachers looking for a historical fiction, especially one in first person or from the POV of a girl.

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this middle grade historical fiction novel in exchange for this review. I had been very curious to read this title. The Cuban Revolution occurred long before I was born, and through my studies of history I have had a largely negative impression of the Castro regime and the totalitarian system inflicted on the Cuban people. So, I think it’s awesome when a book comes along that sets the geopolitical animosities aside for a moment, and reminds us that the people of Cuba are not so different from everyone else.
When Fidel Castro and his brother, Raul, took over the Cuban government, they launched a campaign to end illiteracy in the country in a year. In 1961, Castro sent “literacy brigades” out into the mountainous, rural areas of Cuba to teach peasants to read and write. Because it was such a monumental task, the country called for young volunteers to go and live and work with families while teaching them to read and write.
This novel tells the story of Lora Diaz Llera, a brave thirteen-year-old girl who, against her parents’ wishes, volunteers to become a brigadista. It was a very dangerous mission, as they would be in remote areas with little protection or everyday comforts. Counter-revolutionaries roamed the wild areas determined to kill these brigadistas. This novel is very well written, and I was drawn into Lora’s world. Readers get to experience the beauty of the Cuban mountains along with the excitement of sharing the gift of literacy with people who desperately want it. The author also includes a note with some historical perspective along with a timeline of Cuba history for young readers unfamiliar with the events around this story.
This book could be a terrific way to introduce Cuban history with kids. This book would be best for older elementary or middle school kids because of the complexity of this time in history. Even so, teachers and parents may need to provide kids with background on the Cuban Revolution and the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

A young girl narrates her experiences as part of the 1961 literacy campaign in Cuba. When 13-year-old Lora joins Castro's campaign to make Cuba completely literate, she learns as much as she teaches. She successfully teaches her host family and neighbors in the countryside to read, and they teach her about the rigors of their life and how they support each other. This is a compelling book that raises important issues.

My Brigadista Year is a powerful book. I don't know much about Cuba's history, but the author's note and timeline provided at the end of this book were quite helpful. I couldn't put this down, historical fiction lovers will enjoy this book.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy.

Character driven. Patterson transports the reader to Cuba, 1961. It is a time when the dictator Batista has been driven from power, and revolutionary leader Castro is now leading the government. Soldiers from anti-Castro factions are l roaming the country, and Castro's literacy brigadistas are a target. Castro enlisted the youth to help Cuba achieve universal literacy, an goal that was achieved, and has allowed Cuba to have one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Against the wishes of her family, thirteen Lora Diaz Llera volunteers to be a literacy brigadista, and moves far from Havana, to live and work with her assigned family. Inspiring, and very enlightening. Wonderful Author's Note with a descriptive bibliography and time line of Cuban.

<p>I never really know how to review books where I am clearly not the audience. For example, <A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/19774842/book/146562834">My Brigadista Year</a> is marketed as <i>Children's Fiction</i>. Since I like kidlit (well, middle-grade and on more than picture books), I still request such books, but then I read them and am like <i>this isn't for me, what am I supposed to say</i>?</p>

<p>Plot: Cuba, 1960s. Thirteen year old Lora becomes a literacy volunteer for Castro, going off from Havana into the hinterlands of Cuba to teach <i>campesinos</i> how to read. It's vaguely inspiring, but the whole thing is so simplistic and flatly rendered, the conflicts either trivially resolved (her father doesn't want Lora to go, but then a page later relents, some campesino men don't want to learn to read, a chapter later they decide to learn, etc.) or are related second-hand (other volunteers are killed, the Bay of Pigs happens off-stage) without any real depth. But, then again, it's a kid book from the perspective of a kid. Can I really expect some sort of deep, moral philosophizing from a child protagonist in a book marketed to children? I mean, obviously, I do expect it, but can I really be surprised when it doesn't happen?</p>

<p>I just wish that this book was more than it ended up being :(</p>

<p><A href="https://www.librarything.com/work/19774842/book/146562834">My Brigadista Year</a> by Katherine Paterson went on sale October 10, 2017.</p>

<p><small>I received a copy free from <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/">Netgalley</a> in exchange for an honest review.</small></p>

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced ecopy of this book. All opinions are my own.

MY BRIGADISTA YEAR is a fascinating look at Cuban history and the efforts put into eradicating illiteracy in the early 1960s. It tell the story of Lora, a thirteen-year-old girl who leaves her family to join the Conrado Benitez Brigadista, a group of individuals whose mission is to spread literacy to areas that have had no access to teachers and formal education. Lora is sent to live with a family in a rural area, and is given one year to teach them how to read. It is also her job to help the family, and learn from them as well. In addition, she becomes the teacher to a neighboring family, and grows a very close bond with both families. During this time, the lives of brigadista were threatened for their work, and Lora bravely stands up for what she believes in despite her fears.

I was so inspired reading about the efforts of the brigadistas, and the impact they had on the country's illiteracy rate. I think young readers are often frustrated that they are too young to do anything of value to change the big issues in their societies, and I hope this book will be inspiring and show them the value their actions can have on the life of others.

This book is very accessible due to its language and length, and I will be a valuable contribution to libraries and classrooms both for its focus on social issues, but also the positive examples of change from country that is often viewed negatively because of past history with the United States.

First of all, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars (rounded up).

<i>My Brigadista Year</i> is a charming story about a piece of history I had never heard about: The campaign against illiteracy lead by Fidel Castro. I really enjoyed learning about this part of history, and as someone who has been teaching literacy for about a year now I deeply appreciated the touching depiction about how Lora taught reading but learned life.

The form of the book is actually the part I found less engaging. In the very end, it's implied that we are actually reading Lora's diary (or, at least, that she is drawing very heavily from it?), which explains why so much of the story is told to us instead of shown. I tend to prefer my stories very close to the protagonist and very active, so I found this distance between us and the narrator a bit uninteresting. However, Katherine Paterson captures the voice of her protagonist very well--it really did feel like reading someone's recollections, and looking back at the book as a whole I can see how that form helped the story (after all, we have one whole year contained in a relatively short book!). I think because the story landed somewhere between diary and normal first person past-tense, I ended up feeling a bit muddled and confused. But this whole paragraph is probably something only an adult reading would notice or possible be bothered by.

I'd definitely recommend this to children curious about adventures, teaching, and rural areas of the world.

Lora and her family live fairly comfortably in Havana, Cuba. They aren’t wealthy but Lora is able to go to a very good school in the city. Then Baptiste is overthrown and Fidel Castro comes in to power. One of Castro’s initiatives is the quest to end illiteracy in Cuba. He recruits young people to be teachers in the country. Lora’s family doesn’t want her to do this, but she is determined to be a brigadista and do her part for her country. She is accepted into the program and heads off to training camp. There she is taught how to teach the farmers she will be living with for the next year. She is sent to the mountains and lives with the Santanas. She also teaches another family, the Acostas. Of course there are hardships as she tries to convince some of the older men they should be literate. There are also rebels in the hills who are against the Castro regime. Lora succeeds in her quest to help end illiteracy and returns to her family triumphant.

I recently reread Bridge to Terabithia so I was a bit excited about a new Katherine Paterson book. I will admit to being disappointed. For one, I felt like this was a bit of a propaganda piece for Cuba. I am not intimately familiar with Cuban history, but I would think those Cubans that fled the Castro regime would not agree with the portrayal hear. This book really made it seem like things vastly improved when Castro took over. People learn to read and write! Youth helped their country improve and went on to successful lives! Rebels kill children! It didn’t show any of the negatives that Castro brought to the country, though Paterson does address that in the afterwards. Maybe things were fantastic when he came to power? I just don’t know enough to know.

The other thing I wasn’t thrilled about was how boring this book was. It reads like a young girl’s diary, which it turns out is what it is. But you don’t know that until the end of the book. There is a reason most young girls do not publish their diaries. They are boring and of no interest to others for the most part. This book was super thin, but took me forever to read simply because I wasn’t excited to pick it up. Even the parts where Lora was in danger were boring and you really knew that nothing bad was going to happen. There was no tension or drama to be had here.

So I was disappointed, but I am sure this book will find its fans. It did offer a glimpse into a time and place that is not often covered in middle grade literature. It also did a good job of showing how even young people can make a difference in the lives of others through sacrifice and service. It was just a bit idealistic for my tastes.

I received it from Netgalley to review.