Dr. Sam Rodriguez Morhaim spent years sharing his family’s history with patients in his dental chair. Now, he is bringing that history to life in his new book, "Where Are All My Toys?", which tells the gripping true story of a young boy’s journey from Havana to Brooklyn.

The book begins in 1961, when five-year-old Jimmy receives the "toy every kid wanted"—Piggy Cook, a wind-up chef that pretends to cook ham and eggs. But Jimmy's world changes overnight when his parents, Julio and Victoria, decide to flee the regime of Fidel Castro to save their children from being forced into becoming "little soldiers".

The journey is filled with "jarring transitions" and challenges that many immigrant families face:
The Loss: At the Havana airport, police confiscate Jimmy’s belongings, including his beloved Piggy Cook.
The Separation: Upon arriving in Miami, the family is separated when Jimmy’s father is detained by immigration officers for an "inspection".

The "Miracle": While wandering the streets of Miami hungry and thirsty, Jimmy’s mother finds a wallet in a phone booth. It contained the exact amount of money needed to hire a lawyer to free his father.
The story follows the family to a tiny, crowded apartment on Sheffield Avenue in Brooklyn. Jimmy eventually overcomes the language barrier and his fear of "police taking his toys" through his love for drawing.

"I wanted to show that even when you lose everything, if you are with people who love you, everything will be okay," says Dr. Morhaim.

The book honors the author’s parents, Julio and Victoria, who fled their homeland with "nothing in their pockets" to ensure their sons had the freedom to choose their own paths.

Where Are All My Toys? is now available in print and digital formats.

About the Author

Morhaim is a Brooklyn native and a successful periodontal surgeon. Growing up in Canarsie, he was shaped by his parents’ courageous decision to leave Cuba for America in 1962. His parents, an architect and a teacher, taught him that while belongings can be taken away, a professional education is a permanent asset.

Sam was inspired to write after sharing his family’s history with patients, who were captivated by his brother Jimmy’s journey through childhood trauma and immigration. Through his writing, he hopes to show readers that hope and a loving family can find the "silver lining" in any hardship.
When he isn’t practicing medicine, Sam is a dedicated father of two children and two granddaughters who reside in the Miami area.