Posted on Leave a comment

The Chrysalis: Plight for Evolution

The Chrysalis: Plight for Evolution
IRIS My Story: A Mother’s love & learning to live with vision loss by Pedro Hidalgo

I was born in Santiago de Cuba with a visual disability that rendered me legally blind.

The story follows the account of a boy named Pedro Hidalgo and his struggles in finding himself in the age of the Cuban Revolution and, eventually, migration to America. When the hold of the military dictatorship had gnawed at Cuba’s throat, Che Guevera and Castro sounded the call for revolution. Alas, what of the civilians who were crushed between the volleys of socio-political warfare?

In the blinded eyes of young Pedro, why does war strike the world?

The author paints the picture of a boy and his family, free from the corrupted power surrounding them. They live their charming days, facing the difficulties of an atypical nuclear family until the fissure created by the world outside their home forces them to safeguard their individualistic motivations. Little by little, their world is turned upside down.

The child struggles with a fading world, a disability that directly affects his eyesight called pigmentosa, defined as the dystrophy of the rods and cone cells of the retina. Despite the doom and gloom, the parents of the child wish to protect the child’s future through financial means alas, the political atmosphere threatens their well-being. When a world vanishes, the sound of gunfire, political hymns, and spilled blood is left. Regardless, the story highlights the gradual growth of the child, akin to a chrysalis waiting for the birth of wings.

Little Pedro yearns for growth and knowledge, which empowers his spirit to unbind itself from his disability despite the societal pressures placed on his shoulders. Like the butterfly effect, the author masterfully creates a web of events that begins from crucial moments of Cuban History and cross-references it to a tale of a humble family whose only wish is to escape a war-stricken world for their son.

But all is not lost; the child finds strength in weakness and becomes a role model for those with a similar disability.

The author hails from Santiago de Cuba. Pedro Hidalgo struggled with a visual disability that rendered him legally blind as a young child. Still, despite such difficulties, he continued his studies in Catholic school and was able to achieve. A battle against time ensued, and his parents migrated to New York City to seek medical attention for his ocular disability. In New York City, the author was sent to a school for the blind his knowledge grew to further heights until he graduated from Long Island University and Syracuse University, where he achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science and Latin American studies. The author has worked in social services for Syracuse. Afterward, he became an official Spanish and English court interpreter in the Manhattan Supreme Court Criminal Division of New York and an educational development counselor.

Despite the political background, the author treasures artistic endeavors such as theater and photography that he developed for further opportunities on stage, television, film, and visual artistry. He has also supported causes such as the Performers with Disabilities Committee, sponsored by SAG-AFTRA. Through their work, creative and practical, the author wishes to instill hope in those individuals who suffer from similar ailments, thus becoming a beacon of light for them to follow.

IRIS My Story is now avilable on Amazon in E-Book Paperback and Hardcover format. 

For more information or to talk to an expert, visit – www.pedrotheauthor.com

Media Contact
Company Name: Book Writing Founders
Contact Person: Pedro Hidalgo
Email: Send Email
Country: United States
Website: https://www.bookwritingfounders.com/