An Exile From Castro's Cuba Shares His Journey to Westford

The emotional journey of Westford resident Jose Ramirez will be discussed at the J.V. Fletcher Library on Thursday as he steps forth to talk about his book on his life as a Cuban immigrant and how he sees his homeland after departing in the 1960s.

 “Defining Moments: A Cuban Exile’s Story About Discovery and the Search For A Better Future” recounts Ramirez’s experiences as a 15-year-old refugee in Operation Peter Pan, as well as returning with his son 33 years later and looking at differences between the U.S. and Cuba in a variety of topics.

Although he expects that he will not be allowed to return to Cuba anytime soon due to the views he espouses in his book, Ramirez believes it was more important to keep the integrity of his beliefs intact, even if it means he cannot see extended members of his family again.

“All that time I had to make some critical decisions,” said Ramirez. “My views haven’t changed all that much, and my travels there have confirmed my views. It’s a controlled society. My book speaks to how the Castro regime has failed and all of its hopes have not materialized.”

While the majority of the book is about Cuba itself, Ramirez says that Westford did play a role in the book, from help the J.V. Fletcher Library’s staff gave him in research to talking about Westford to people he met in Cuba during his last trip there in January.

“I talked to them about the Town Meeting form of government we have here in Westford and they were flabbergasted at a system where people can make a difference at such an individual level,” he said.

The event starts at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.