Ivan Hernandez with a fictionalized biography of his dad

Based on a true story, Isla Vulnerable—a CIBA Hemingway Book Awards Finalist and Amazon Bestseller:  Biography, Espionage, and Thriller—shares the journey of a poor farm boy named Victor Gomez who transforms into a US spy, while falling for the very public Sarita Rodriguez at the height of the Cuban revolution.

Victor wasn’t supposed to be anything more than a farmer. But when he is suddenly orphaned, one of Cuba's most esteemed judges adopts him at the pivotal moment in history when Fidel Castro is overthrowing President Batista and taking control of the island.

When Castro raids his adoptive family’s estate and arrests his father, Victor narrowly escapes by concealing his identity and fleeing to the US. Determined to rescue his family from political revenge, Victor accepts an unconventional, deadly deal with the CIA that exposes him to some of the most sensational moments in US history. In a whirlwind twist of events, he reunites with a childhood crush, Sarita Rodriguez, whose newfound fame as an actress in New York puts their opposite lives through unimaginable danger.

A product of 18 years of research and interviews, Isla Vulnerable reveals new insights through captivating character points of view during some of history's most fascinating moments. The book features eyewitness accounts of Cold War events and the Cuban missile crisis; the CIA’s covert operations in foreign affairs, including Operation Mongoose; never disclosed, private conversations surrounding JFK's assassination; and real life accounts that defined 1950’s “Cuba de ayer” and the “Golden exile”.

A cinematic piece first written as a screenplay, Isla Vulnerable delivers the edge-of-your-seat pacing of Jack Ryan with telenova-style high-stakes drama, perfect for fans of biographies, documentaries, spy mysteries, political thrillers, historical fiction, and romance novels.