A beacon at the southernmost tip of Key West proclaims “90 miles from Cuba” prominently on its façade.  Yet, as close to our shores as Cuba lies, most Americans don’t know the history of the Cuban Revolution and the political climate that led to the rise of Fidel Castro as communist dictator.  The historical fiction novel My Café Cubano takes a unique look at the impact of the Cuban Revolution on a coffee baron’s family and business.  Told through the journals of the Badilla family’s teenage daughter, this rare story shows the early years of Castro’s Cuba through the eyes of a family that eventually chooses exile and personal freedom.  Much like The Diary of Anne Frank, My Café Cubano is a story of loss and suffering under a ruthless regime and personalizes historical events for the reader.  This must-read novel exposes the realities of communist revolution and the subsequent fear and suffering Cubans endure at the hands of Castro.  The recent retirement of Castro after 50 years of iron rule makes this novel particularly relevant today.