Two Worlds, One Voice: Navigating the Hyphenated Identity in 'Enchanted Air'

Selena Mercuri reviews Margarita Engle’s verse memoir, "Enchanted Air," a poignant look at a childhood divided between California and revolutionary Cuba.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 6, 2026, 6:55 AM EDT

Source: Havana Times

A Childhood Divided by Smog and Tropical Sun

The memoir traces Engle’s early years as she oscillates between the smog-filled suburbs of Los Angeles and the lush, tropical abundance of her mother’s native Cuba. This annual migration, initially a source of wonder, becomes a casualty of history as Fidel Castro’s revolution and the subsequent Bay of Pigs Invasion harden international borders. The physical separation from half of her family mirrors a deepening internal fracture, as the young Margarita struggles to reconcile her American reality with an increasingly inaccessible Cuban heritage.

The Survival Strategy of Verse and Song

Central to Engle’s narrative is the concept of finding expression when conventional language fails. In one poignant passage, Engle describes the "feathery voices" of caged songbirds in Cuba as an inspiration to "sing instead of speak." This choice to sing—even in a voice she describes as "more froglike than winged"—functions as a survival strategy. For a child caught between two nations at war, the rhythmic, emotional language of poetry becomes a necessary bridge over the silence imposed by geopolitical conflict and the gaps between English and Spanish.

Deconstructing the Bicultural Narrative

Unlike many immigrant success stories that celebrate "code-switching" as a triumphant skill, Enchanted Air delves into the emotional cost of living between worlds. Engle avoids romanticizing the bicultural experience, instead highlighting the "loneliness and the lack of belonging entirely to any one place." She describes the sensation of being divided as a literal gap between languages, a space where identity feels fragmented rather than doubled. This honest portrayal provides a necessary counter-narrative for young readers navigating their own hyphenated identities.