December 11, 2003, Bloomfield, NJ -- It’s not unusual for a Christmas
story to involve a journey. But in The Road to Santiago, Bloomfield
College Library Director Dan Figueredo of Piscataway has written a Christmas
story with a twist: it takes place in Cuba during the 1950’s revolution.
Figueredo explained that the book, which celebrates family and love, is based on true events from his childhood. Each holiday season, his family would travel by train from Havana to the other end of the island to visit his grandmother in Santiago.
“I’m a child of the Cuban Revolution. In December of 1958, the rebels blew up the railroad tracks, severing the island in two. We received the news while riding on the train and were told that there would be no service,” Figueredo said. “It didn’t stop us, and my father figured ways to get us to Santiago in time for Christmas Eve dinner and celebrations.”
Although The Road to Santiago is a fictional look at historic events, it is also a book about family and the importance of being together on the holidays. One of the book’s central themes is keeping holiday traditions alive. When asked what traditions his family observes, Figueredo responded, “In the U.S. we always try to stay together for Christmas. My mother and father-in-law both come to New Jersey from Florida, or we try to get to Florida to be together. We always have a Cuban meal on the twenty-fourth and an American Christmas dinner on the twenty-fifth.”
The Road to Santiago is Figueredo’s fourth book for children. The book has already received an award from the Society of Illustrators and has received praise from School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly for being fast-paced and beautifully illustrated.
Figuredo’s other children books include: When This World Was New, Cleaning Day, and Big Snowball Fight. Figueredo has written several books on Latino history and culture including The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Latino History & Culture, and The Encyclopedia of Cuba. He is also the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide Para Aprender Ingles (to learn English).
He is currently writing a story about the first time he was able to walk
after recovering from polio, and is editing an encyclopedia on Caribbean
literature.
