Journey Back Into the Vault
In Search of my Faded Cuban Childhood Footprints
by Mario Cartaya
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Pub Date Aug 26 2025 | Archive Date May 03 2026
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Description
Can one write a memoir when they have no childhood memories?
Mario Cartaya was born in Havana, Cuba, in 1951. Eight years later, the turbulent winds of change forced his family to immigrate to the United States in search of a new life lived in freedom.
Fifty-six years later, Mario returned to Cuba in search of the long-forgotten memories of his childhood. Now a successful American architect, this once “unsung child” of the Cuban diaspora went back to face his old demons (who were no longer there) and to recall his earliest experiences. Mario eventually regained the memories of the first 8 years of his life, repaired the tattered tapestry of his existence, and found an inner peace he never knew he needed.
In Journey Back Into The Vault, Mario confronts the contents of the mental lockbox he had built to protect him from his challenging past. In his journey of self-discovery, each chapter reveals relics deliberately buried by his subconscious mind.
Mario’s personal story is also a universal one: how love and enlightenment can only begin with our search for self-actualization and peace of mind. More than a memoir of a Cuban refugee, it’s a story that uncovers the psychological forces that help define us, the power of enduring hope, and how—by achieving purity of heart, reconciliation, and a soul at rest—we can evolve into better versions of ourselves.
Advance Praise
“After reading Journey Back into the Vault, what stayed with me most was the tenderness of Mario’s return not just to Cuba as a physical place, but to memory, identity, and the emotional terrain of a childhood interrupted. The book reads as an act of quiet bravery… at once deeply personal and universally human, shaped by loss, exile, and the long work of reconciliation with what was taken and what endured. It left a lasting impression on me.”
—Isabel Allende, multiple award-winning author and 2014 US Presidential Medal of Honor winner
“[With] themes of family, perseverance, and culture…. A satisfying and heartwarming autobiographical voyage.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This true story is a love story as heartfelt as any told in a novel. A tale of love of family, place, and relationships…. It will trigger memories of one’s own childhood experiences and bring back those happy and/or trying times; but if lost, may suggest you journey to your own vault wherever it may be.”
—Charles Redner, author of Down But Never Out and executive editor and publisher, The Hummingbird Review
“What a superb storyteller. This is a beautiful, meaningful story. Indeed, it is a treasure.”
—David Lawrence Jr., author of A Dedicated Life: Journalism, Justice and a Chance for Every Child; Retired publisher of the Miami Herald; Chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida
“Some books entertain, others inform, and a rare few challenge us to think differently. Journey Back Into the Vault belongs to the latter category. It doesn’t demand that readers love their past, but it does ask them to confront it. It is undeniably a book that lingers—long after the last page is turned.”
—Chrysalis BREW Project Review
“Deeply nostalgic and searching, Cartaya’s writing is honest and enthralling. He writes with clarity and thoughtfulness and bravely confronts the heartbreak caused by historical forces beyond his control. His search for closure is admirable and always tinged lovingly with joy as he celebrates the best of Havana with his friends. RECOMMENDED.”
—The US Review of Books
“There are memoirs – and then there are memoirs. Journey Back into the Vault definitely raises the bar. The writing is literate yet conversational, always informed by the acutely insightful intelligence of the author…The unveiling of the past is accomplished to the dual benefit of the author and his readers. This is an ambitious and very effective book.”
—Pacific Book Review
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Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781636987712 |
| PRICE | $18.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 230 |
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