Pulitzer Stems from Cuban Boatlift

Fresh Air | By Terry Gross

Published April 25, 2005 at 11:00 PM CDT

Mirta Ojito is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times. When Ojito was a teenager, 25 years ago, she and her family were part of the Mariel boatlift out of Cuba.

Her new memoir is Finding Mañana: A Memoir of a Cuban Exodus. As part of her research, Ojito interviewed members of the Carter administration -- and leader Fidel Castro himself -- to understand what led to the boatlift.

Terry Gross

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.

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