Episode 185: Ana Hebra Flaster and her book, Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town
ABOUT ANA
Ana Hebra Flaster is a journalist, speaker, and author who arrived in the U.S. as a child refugee when her working-class Family fled Cuba, in 1967. She has written about Cuba and the Cuban American experience in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Boston Globe. Her commentaries and storytelling have aired on NPR’s All Things Considered and PBS’s Stories from the Stage. Ana supports human rights and peaceful democratic change in Cuba with her weekly Substack, CubaCurious, sourced from uncensored Spanish-language news outlets in and outside of Cuba. Her award-winning memoir, Property of the Revolution: From a Cuban Barrio to a New Hampshire Mill Town, explores the long reach of “refugeedom” on her tightknit, multigenerational family and celebrates immigrant grit and courage. Published in 2025, the book was selected as an all-city read and a first-year university read andt has won multiple awards, including 1st place in the Discovery Book Awards, the International Book Awards, and the Indie Author Project, a Library Journal competition judged by librarians in the U.S. and Canada. With immigrants in the news and Americans on edge, Ana hopes her family’s story inspires readers and reminds them of the best of America—and Americans.
CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS
• Why Ana’s family left Cuba and how that experience shaped her life
• The moment her mother realized the revolution was not what she thought it was
• What it was like arriving in New Hampshire as a Cuban refugee family
• How Ana moved from software and family life into writing and journalism
• Why structure mattered in turning her family history into a memoir
• The role of leadership, self-awareness, and the ability to rethink what you believe
• How nature, Gardening, and focused work help Anna stay grounded
• Why telling hard stories can be both healing and exhausting
• What Ana hopes readers take away from Property of the Revolution
The MAIN QUESTION for you that comes out of my conversation with Ana is, For better or worse, how does the story of your family play into who you are and the work you do today?
FIND ANA
• Website: https://anacubana.com
• Substack: https://anahflaster.substack.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anahebraflaster/
• Twitter: https://x.com/AnaHebraFlaster
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ana.flaster/
LinkedIn – Full Podcast Article:
CHAPTERS00:00 – The Book Leads Podcast – Ana Hebra Flaster00:47- Introduction & Bio21:00 – Who are you today? Can you provide more information about your work?32:16 – How did your path into your career look like, and what did it look like up until now?01:06:02- How does the work you’re doing today reconcile to who you were as a child?01:15:48 – What do you consider your superpower?01:17:12 – What does leadership mean to you?01:19:10 – Can you introduce us to the book we’re discussing?01:25:20 – Can you provide a general overview of the book?01:29:20 – What’s changed in you in the process of writing this book?01:39:50 – What lessons do you hope someone takes away from the book?01:43:57 – What’s next for your writing?01:46:12 – What book has inspired you?01:50:22 – What are you up to these days? (A way for guests to share and market their projects and work.)
This series has become my Masterclass In Humanity. I’d Love for you to join me and see what you take away from these conversations.
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