Burningcar Stories

In 1959, as Fidel Castro consolidated power in Cuba, three families-Santana, Duarte, and Palagra-must navigate the shifting political landscape. Their sons, Adonio, Emilio, and Adriano, were all born in exile in Caracas, Venezuela, their families unaware of each other's presence until fate reunites them in Havana. With the new government nationalizing industries and repressing civil liberties, their parents, desperate for a better future, prepare to flee to the United States. The Palagra patriarch, now an official in Castro's government, brokers a deal allowing the boys to leave under the Cuban American airlift program. Arriving in Miami, the families face the chaos of the packed Freedom Tower refugee camp. The boys, thrust into a world of uncertainty, find solace in Little Havana, where they become unwitting couriers in an illicit drug trade orchestrated by their cousin, Armando. As their parents relocate to Columbus, Ohio, seeking stability, the boys remain behind, reveling in Miami's reckless freedom-until a turning point on their 14th birthday forces them to reconsider their futures. In Ohio, the families rebuild with the support of the Southern Methodist Church and local immigration officials. While their parents struggle to reclaim their professional identities-Carlos as a lawyer and Anton as a business owner-the boy faces their battles. Adonio and Adriano navigate the party culture of high school before eventually pursuing higher education. Emilio, drawn deeper into drugs, meets his boyfriend in a welding program, only for their love story to end in a tragic, senseless murder. Haunted by Emilio's death, Adonio prepares to leave for graduate school in California, but the weight of his journey lingers. The American Dream was supposed to be a beacon of hope, yet it came with a cost-racism, exclusion, and the ghosts of those left behind. He carries the resilience of his immigrant past, but survival has left its scars.

The Foxes react to the books/about Neil (not everything I will be skipping some things)