THE POET SLAVE OF CUBA BY MARGARITA ENGLE

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Engle, Margarita. 2006. THE POET SLAVE OF CUBA: A BIOGRAPHY OF JUAN FRANCISCO MANZANO. Ill. Sean Qualls. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN-10: 0805077065
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In this amazing biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, Margarita Engle gives us a glimpse into the life of an amazing man. Manzano was born a slave in 18th century Cuba. His parents were freed by his first mistress, but he was kept a slave. She described him as her “her poodle.” He was very intelligent and was secretly taught how to read and write. He was granted his freedom by his first mistress, but somehow was tricked and enslaved by a cruel and brutal second mistress.
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano was written in free verse by Engle. A collection of poems take readers on a walk through Manzano’s life; from childhood across a lifetime of slavery and ends with his desperate ride for freedom.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Manzano’s own poems were the basis for the writing of this book. Engle decided to give a voice not only to Manzano, but also to the other people in his life, including his two enslavers. When we listen to Manzano’s voice, we meet a brilliant and intelligent child/man who speaks with stunning clarity about his world. The child Manzano writes /Now my owner is ghostly/ inside her skeleton of powder/ but I, being only a poodle/can watch/ I am allowed to know /these truths/ about shadow/ and bright/. He clearly sees and expresses the effects slavery has on its perpetrators.
In this haunting book, we also hear the voice of Maria de Pilar, Manzano’s mother and are deeply moved by the anguish of a mother who cannot help her son. Although she is free, she cannot be far from her son. Manzano writes of her /a bird-mother/caged but winged. Toribio, his father has an opportunity to speak. Most chilling is the voice of his crazed mistress.
Engle has given voices to those who have long been denied a voice. Also, by exploring the darkness of his mistresses, we catch a small glimpse of both the justification and the callousness that dictated much of the course of Manzano’s life.
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano is a masterpiece. Qualls’ illustrations capture the anguish of Manzano and his family. He also captures the shallowness and the evil that has enslaved his mistresses. The wickedness of slavery casts a sad pall on all of the illustrations. Qualls drawings and Engle’s words work in unison to help us to understand Manzano’s world.
Engle heard Manzano through his poems and acted as a vehicle that transported his voice and story to our time. It is an amazing book about an incredible man.
4. AWARDS AND BOOK EXCERPT(S)
Awards: American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; American Library Association Notable Children's Books; Americas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Winner; IRA Children's Book Award; IRA Teachers' Choices; NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts; Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year; Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library; CCBC Choice (Univ. of WI); Pura Belpre Author Award; Arizona Grand Canyon Young Readers Master List
SCHOOL LIBRARY SCIENCE:” This is an absolutely lovely book about the unlovely subject of slavery.”
BOOKLIST: ** Starred Review** In plain, stirring free verse, Engle dramatizes the boyhood of the nineteenth-century Cuban slave Juan Francisco Manzano, who secretly learned to read and wrote poetry about beauty and courage in his world of unspeakable brutality.
5. CONNECTIONS
If you found these books enjoyable, you may be interested in the following:
Engle, Margarita. THE SURRENDER TREE. ISBN-10: 0805086749
Draper, Sharon. COPPER SUN. ISBN-10: 1416953485
Weatherford. Carol Boston. MOSES: WHEN HARRIET TUBMAN LED HER PEOPLE TO FREEDOM. Ill. By Kadir Nelson. ISBN-10: 0786851759