Jeff Hartdorn

Before you go to Cuba Jeff Hartdorn

When adverse winds force Charlie Sutton and the crew of the Bora Bora Express into Marina Hemingway, they are excited at the opportunity to explore a forbidden communist country. The young captain is delighted to immerse himself in a new culture. But soon, through the eyes of his friends, he realizes they are all under constant surveillance and comes to the conclusion that he is vacationing in a prison. He meets many women but Valentina, an eighteen-year-old prostitute, steals his heart. Navigating a world of poverty and repression, Charlie comes to respect and admire the resilience of the Cuban people. Unfortunately, he naively allows himself to participate in a criminal act that forces him to engineer an escape back to America. Vali too has run afoul of the law and locked away on a seventeen year sentence in a bleak maximum security prison under Byzantine conditions. Charlie must figure out how to return to the island, break her out of jail and re-engineer a daring escape to get them both off the island. A thrilling adventure based on author Jeff Hartdorn's personal experiences, Before You Go to Cuba is a cautionary tale to anyone considering taking a trip to a newly opened communist nation.