Tropical Secrets - Margarita Engle

I read this book over the weekend - it's a quick read because it's all written in poetry. The speaker in the poem sometimes changes, though, and I felt like it threw the rhythm off for me a bit. But maybe I was going too quickly...

The story is about Jewish people who had to flee from Europe and came to the United States seeking freedom only to be turned AWAY! I had no idea. Many of these people ended up in Cuba. Again, I had no idea! However, many people were also refused assylum on Cuba as well and had to go back to Europe and nearly sure death.

I learned quite a lot about this by reading the book. A whole period of Nazi history I never really knew about. It focused on two children, one a Jew fleeing Europe and separated from his family and the other a young Cuban girl whose mother has left her and her father to go to France. It's quite a poignant piece, and really interesting, but I didn't find it particularly compelling. It might also have been that I was sick, though, so I wasn't as invested in my reading as I often am. I'd like to hear what someone else thinks of this book. I've heard some buzz that it may win some awards.