The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera — J. Joaquin Fraxedas

In the middle of a moonless night on a deserted beach east of Havana three men lash inner tubes together to make a flimsy raft they slide into the surf. Desperate to escape a society gone wrong, they risk an incredible journey across the more than ninety miles of treacherous waters that separate the island of Cuba from the Florida Keys.

In this powerful and lyrical novel, J. Joaquin Fraxedas has crafted an epic story of three courageous men, men willing to endure the hazards of the open sea, men caught in the mindless violence of a hurricane with nothing to hang on to but an inner tube, men willing to die in their attempt to gain freedom.

Superbly written, The Lonely Crossing of Juan Cabrera is profoundly moving tribute to one of the great tragedies of our time.