Guillermo Marquez-sterling

Crossing into the Land of Saints Guillermo Marquez-sterling

March, 2000, the whole world watched the political tug-of-war between Fidel Castro and the exiled Cuban community over a little rafter, Elian Gonzalez, who was the sole survivor of the perilous journey across the Florida Straits. The controversies surrounding the arrival of this little boy swept over Miami. In the midst of this highly charged political climate, people were falling in love, drug deals were going bad, and the Cuban elderly were dying, surrendering their dreams of returning to a Castro free Cuba. Crossing Into the Land of Saints is a wonderful and realistic portrayal of a Cuban family, the Santeria religion, and the political and cultural differences within the exiled Cuban community. Meet the three generations of the Lopez-Zayas family as they struggle with the dying wish of the family's matriarch, Cheita, to be laid to rest in her homeland. Cristobal, her brother, has agreed to honor Cheita's dying wish, sending the family into a stormy adventure. Roli is a young, humorous, Cuban American man who grew up in Boston, and finds himself seduced by a voluptuous and sensual Cuban waitress. Alina, Roli's sister, becomes Cristobal's partner, along with Roli, to bury Cheita in Cuba. In order to realize Cheita's wish, the family must overcome their differences, the political tensions of that time, the stormy waters of the Florida Straits, and the dangerous Cuban military, which during the Elian Gonzalez controversy was on the hyper-alert against "unwanted" American influences. Their journey back to Cuba, the land of saints, transforms this family in ways they could not foresee. Crossing Into the Land of Saints promises to take you along this journey, and transform you as well.