The Story of Orqui and Starr
How Two Little Girls Came to America
by
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When I was born, Cuba was an awesome place. It was an island paradise. My family lived in a city named Havana which is the capital of Cuba. It has a rich history, great baseball teams, and some of the world’s nicest beaches. We lived in a pretty house with family close by. My father worked for the police and my mom stayed home with us. Starr attended school close by and my mom would walk to pick her up with me in a stroller. We would go to the beach or visit family in the countryside on weekends or go downtown to the big stores, fun restaurants and, sometimes, to see a movie at the theater. When I was two, all of that changed.
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About the Book
This is the true story of a little girl who was born just before a revolution that upended not only her country, but her life and that of many others. It takes the title characters from an idyllic life to one of sacrifice and separation from their parents. Eventually reunited with her family, The Story of Orqui and Starr recounts the hardships and fears that were a part of Orqui’s childhood and how she came to the United States and made it home.
About the Author
Maggie Orquidea (Orqui) Garcia-Schubert was born in Cuba, but at age four, immigrated to the United States. This is her story, a story like that of so many other Cuban immigrants who left behind entire lives to live in a land of freedom and liberty. After arriving in the United States, her father joined the U.S. Army and she lived in various states and abroad until she was a teen and her father retired. The family moved to Miami, where she grew up and lived a life straddling the fence between her American reality and her Cuban roots. She and her husband, Nick, recently moved to North Carolina and together they have three incredible sons, Todd, Raymond, and Ryan and six amazing grandchildren. She sings lullabies and other children’s songs to her grandchildren in Spanish so that they too know Cuba.