The surrender tree Poems of Cuba's struggle for freedom

*Starred Review* As in The Poet Slave of Cuba (2006), Engle's new book is written in clear, short lines of stirring free verse. This time she draws on her own Cuban American roots, including stories from her grandmother, to describe those who fought in the nineteenth-century Cuban struggle for independence. At the center is Rosa, a traditional healer, who nurses runaway slaves and deserters in caves and other secret hideaways. Her husband, José, a freed slave, also speaks, and so does a refugee child, whom Rosa teaches to be a healer. Then there is the vicious slave hunter known as Lieutenant Death; his collection of ears is an unforgettable image of brutality ( shown as proof that the runaway slave / died fighting, resisting capture ). The switching perspectives personalize the dramatic political history, including the establishment of the world's first reconcentration camps to hold prisoners, as well as the role of slave owners who freed their slaves and joined the resistance against Spain. Many readers will be caught by the compelling narrative voices and want to pursue the historical accounts in Engle's bibliography.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist

Gr 9 Up-The spare, steady cadence of these poems (Holt, 2008) by Marguerite Engel presents stories of slavery and strife set in Cuba during the second half of the 19th century. The cycle of verses revolves around Rosa, a healer who cares for ally and foe, first as a slave and later during the years she works with rebel fighters. Standouts among the many characters who surround this steadfast protagonist are her husband, Jose; her old enemy, Lt. Death; and orphaned Sylvia, who wants to be a nurse. Narrators Yesinia Cabrero, Vane Millon, Chris Nunez, Ozzie Rodriguez, and Roberto Santana weave together the story's strands with a mix of quiet determination, blustery bravado, and occasional melancholy. The effect is flat at times, but the ensemble conveys the desperation of a population beset by rebellions, starvation, and the oppression of colonial rule. The sinking of the American ship, the Maine, will be familiar to some and introduces listeners to U.S. intervention in Cuba. Most listeners, however, will find the events described as undiscovered chapters in the history of the western hemisphere. Author notes explain Engel's Cuban-American heritage and the family stories of island life. Engel also adds facts concerning the historical Cubans she depicts. This collection is an intriguing way to introduce Cuban history and discussions on issues such as slavery and colonialism.-Barbara Wysocki, Cora J. Belden Library, Rocky Hill, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Middle School, High School) Between 1868 and 1898, Cuba fought three wars to gain independence. Cubans suffered slavery, concentration camps, starvation, widespread disease, and death in their struggle against Spanish colonialism. Engle, winner of the Pura Belpre Author Award for The Poet Slave of Cuba (rev. 7/06), uses these historical events to craft a powerful narrative in free verse, told through the alternating soliloquies of various revolutionary characters, including folk heroine Rosa la Bayamesa; Rosa's husband Jose; the slavehunter's son, whom Rosa calls Lieutenant Death; and Silvia, a young survivor of the concentration camps. Rosa, a former slave, uses her skills in natural medicine to treat sick and wounded refugees of war, constructing a hidden network of hospitals in forests, mountains, and caves throughout Cuba. As her fame grows, Rosa's enemies relentlessly hunt her down, attempting to break the Cuban spirit of resistance, and Rosa la Bayamesa becomes a symbol of hope in the quest for freedom and equality. Engle's haunting poetry explores the themes of oppression, war, and human rights through the lens of one woman's determination to aid refugees from all factions, regardless of race or politics. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Tales of political dissent can prove, at times, to be challenging reads for youngsters, but this fictionalized version of the Cuban struggle for independence from Spain may act as an entry to the form. The poems offer rich character portraits through concise, heightened language, and their order within the cycle provides suspense. Four characters tell the bulk of the story: Rosa, a child who grows up to be a nurse who heals the wounded, sick and starving with herbal medicine; her husband, Jos, who helps her move makeshift hospitals from cave to cave; Silvia, an orphaned girl who escapes a slave camp so that she may learn from Rosa; and Lieutenant Death, a hardened boy who grows up wanting only to kill Rosa and all others like her. Stretching from 1850 to 1899, these poems convey the fierce desire of the Cuban people to be free. Young readers will come away inspired by these portraits of courageous ordinary people. (author's note, historical note, chronology, references) (Fiction/poetry. 12+) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.