Caribbean Books

What a beautiful book! I want to use the book as a coffee table book, matter of fact, its on my coffee table now because the illustrations are striking and the book is informative, well researched and entertaining. Although classified for the 9 to 12 year old reader, a younger reader will enjoy looking at the pictures and, with instruction, can play the enclosed game. The author defines and provides pronunciation hints for unfamiliar words. An adult is guaranteed to expand their knowledge of an ancient culture and time period. This is truly a book to be enjoyed by the entire family.

On a Beautiful Island captures a day in the life of Taino, a Puerto Rican boy who lived some 500 years ago. His adventures bring to life a culture strong in family, faith and society. Each person in the tribe has a role and a responsibility to each other and to nature. The writing is lyrical, the illustrations are colorful while the overall tone is light and joyful.

A true work of the storyteller's art, On This Beautiful Island is written and beautifully illustrated by Edwin Fontanez. Adapted from his original video "Taino: Guanin's Story" which was in turn inspired by the ancient culture of the Tainos who were the first inhabitants of Puerto Rico. On This Beautiful Island shows young readers what it was like to live in a vibrant natural land five hundred years ago, and experience the wonders of nature from the soft lullaby of the ocean humming inside a shell to the fresh breeze whisking through the treetops to the song of a tiny frog no bigger than a thumb. On This Beautiful Language is filled with bright and ruddy colored illustrations of native Taino individuals going about day-to-day life, and a final page offers some additional information about the Taino culture, and influences that remain with us today through words like "barbecue", "tobacco", "canoe", and "hammock", all of which are derived from the Arawak language.

Guanín, our narrator, uses poetic verse to describe his family traditions and life in Puerto Rico. This is a pastoral book that celebrates and educates children about the Taíno history and culture. The illustrations are incredibly beautiful. It is difficult to tell, at times, whether this is to be a rhyming verse or descriptive poem. When reading aloud, sometimes the rhyming and/or alliterations works, at other times, though it is difficult reading. The intricate, colorful illustrations will brighten any day, even if you don't read the text. The story introduces readers to Puerto Rico in a way that they are not likely to find elsewhere. The parallels with Native American culture (i.e., Nature's role in our survival) also lend great opportunities to talk about conservation and caring for our world.

On this Beautiful Island is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book. This book takes the child through a colourful exotic journey led by Guanín and his close-to-the-heart friend Tahite, a parrot. Guanín shows his new friends a little about his daily life and about his traditional Taíno culture. These traditions date back more than 2,000 years from the area known today as Puerto Rico. A video called Taíno: Guanín's Story and a companion activity book are also available for those interested in learning more about Guanín and his cultural traditions.

On this Beautiful Island is a story that entertains and teaches at the same time. The book illustrates a lifestyle that is likely very different from the young reader while also showing that some things about being a kid are universal. The story is charming and completely entertaining. However, it pales in comparison to the illustrations in this book which are completely breathtaking. Young readers will spend hours studying these colourful pictures looking for hidden coquíes.

This is a well written book covering Neruda's life en total without pulling any punches regarding his idiosyncracies. Fascinating accounts of his travels, personal life, and political exile.

The biography is excellent. All the gore and the glory of a magnificent poet, a magnificent poet. So impressed was I, that while having innumerable books by Neruda, and his posthumously published memoirs, I still went out and obtained Obras Completas through a bookstore in Madrid. I have summered on Isla Negra and had the good fortune of meeting Matilde. The author does an outstanding job of giving us the most objective portrait of Neruda, not hiding the blemishes. Neruda was always a boy with a huge heart and lots of love for most (mostly women). Quite sad that a poetic voice like this is gone. Sad also that in his politics Neruda was myopic. The radical left, the radical right, what's the difference? He could never see that point. The author brings this issue out as well with verisimilitude.

Reviewer: A reader from London, UK United Kingdom

Not many writers lead such a colourful life as Neruda. The Chilean Nobel prize winner was not only a diplomat, a world class poet, and a lover of many women--- he had three wives and many mistresses---he was also a supporter of the Republican cause in Spain, responsible for rescuing many of Franco's enemies, and a staunch left-winger who wanted to write for the many rather than the few . . He was forced to flee for his life over the Andes on a donkey when the Chilean government became a tyranny, and was close to Allende at the time of his death. Feinstein tells the story judiciously; he honestly addresses the poet's continuing support for Communism, even after Stalin's crimes were widely known , and does not attempt to palliate his many infidelities. What comes through is Neruda's passion for life, and Feinstein's passion for his subject. A riveting read.

More than thirty years ago, I gave a copy of Neruda's "Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair to the woman who would later become my wife. All these years later, I still read Neruda's poems aloud to her, and I am still nourished in the autumn of my own life by the rich array of poetry that this great writer produced from his adolescence to old age. Adam Feinstein produces a loving, yet unflinching, portrait of Neruda. Here is a man whose generosity and determination saved the lives of hundreds of refugees from war-torn Spain. Yet here, too, is the man who abandoned his first wife and their developmentally delayed daughter, betrayed all of his wives, and shamefully continued to embrace Stalin's legacy long after many of his peers were humbled by the recognition of Stalin's evil. What I most enjoyed about Feinstein's biography, however, is the way in which Neruda's poetry is charted in the context of his adult developmental. Learning about the broad changes in Neruda's path through his life, the failed marriages, the political career, the aging poet, helps place all his works in a context that enriches the reader's experience of the poetry. In the end, however, we are left with a mystery: the biographical details of Neruda's life cannot explain the greatness of his poetry. This childlike, vain, and self-absorbed man was also a stunning genius, whose passion for life will illuminate the lives of others for centuries.

Pablo Neruda, of whom Garcia` marquez has called"the greatest poet of the 20th century-in any language",has never had a full length biography in english.Until now.the man Neruda that Mr.Feinstein portrays is an often selfish,self absorbed genuis,who invented his own myth and ferociously hung on to it until his death,a couple of weeks after the murderous coup that took the life and lifeblood of his beloved Chile,and installed the US puppet regime of the neo-fascist Augusto pinochet. In his memoirs, Neruda never mentions his abandonment of his wife and handicapped child, not her subsequent death during WWII.His long held Stalinist beliefs,which in his memoirs he speaks of ruefully, are fully exposed here by Mr feinstein, though he seems to lack any historical prespective on this issue.His philandering is also brought to light[ad nauseum,actually} before meeting Matilde,his third wife[and by most accounts, the second love of his life,after his country} People who only have been introcduced to Neruda through the wonderful film Il Postino might be shocked at the great poets behaviour.[BTW,the novel Il Postino,a novella,actually is well worth reading,and is far darker then the film]All of the greats of the 20th century are here: Garcia Lorca,Sartre,Picasso,Nazim Hikmet,Mistral,Borges`.Nerudas life was often like a movie,surreal and silly. What Mr feinstein doesnt grasp,despite his copius research, is how such a bob vivant,political radical,philandereer inveterate collector,could have written like a slumming angel,for if anything,Gracia Marquez is quite correct.Canto general is a classic on the same level as Leaves of Grass[whose author was also deeply flawed,no?}Residence on earth,20 ,love poems and a song of despair[written as a very young man, which is covered very well in this book]The touching,brilliant 100 love songs for his wife[then mistress] matilde is not fully explored as i would have liked. I am biased,i admit.I read neruda every day,we have a woodcut of him over our kitchen table, my husband wears a wrist watch bearing Nerudas image,so we obviously love him. I found watching his satue crumble painful, and another lesson in hero worship. This book, successfully portrays Pablo Neruda in a;;his glory [and not so glorious ways] and gives, at last a full blooded portrait of this great treasure of the americas. Highly Recommedded

Jorge Luis Borges was born in Buenos Aires in 1899. His parents, multilingual intellectuals, would soon travel to Europe with their children in the hopes of finding medical treatment for the progressive (inherited) failing eyesight that Borges' father was experiencing. Borges was a brainy, precocious, nearsighted and bookish child who was deeply attached to his sister Norah, with whom he played nearly exclusively and happily, mainly in the protected indoors of the family's library, or in the garden, and at the Buenos Aires Zoo, where Borges adored tigers most of all. (Stroking the fur of a living tiger was a lifelong dream and one that he finally attained - in old age).

Borges wrote his first short story at age six and, amazingly, at the age of nine translated Oscar Wilde's short story "The Happy Prince" from English to Spanish, publishing the story in a local newspaper. It was simply assumed that his father (also "Jorge Borges") had done the translation. Borges was educated in the classics, was multilingual, and was eventually named Director of the National Library of Argentina. The irony of being blind - and also in direct control of "800,000 volumes" did not escape him.

This book was assembled by Borges himself, in the 1960s. It's an assortment of short stories, essays, fictions and nonfictions, and poems. It is a demanding and rewarding read. Like most of his work, his human subjects here are mainly males- of history, myth, and his own invention. Women are not much included in his oevre. I add that so that readers new to Borges are informed, in advance.

He does not court the reader so much as respect readerly intelligence. As such his work sometimes initially intimidates students - and later, thrills. It stays with you, permanently.

Borges was a master of several forms, and they are here. Most of his areas of interest are 'big' themes : art, poetry, mortality, loyalty, destiny, ancient and world history. (He even wrote articles about books or other articles that, in fact, did not exist - other than for his express purposes.) In his poetry and other pieces, notions of eternity versus mortality (for example: one's knowing that one will never again open a certain beloved book, travel a familiar street, or know or see a still-living loved one) is approached with profound humility and grace. There are meditations on a variety of men and topics, among them Shakespeare, 'the Aleph,' and Shih Huang Ti, the Chinese emperor who ordered that the Wall of China be built, and "likewise ordered all books antedating him to be burned."

Borges loves details, material culture, and even minutiae, too. There is much to hang on to in these pieces. It's a deliberate and purposeful sampling of some of his work - not a "best of," since one volume of 200 pages can't really do that. His writing demands full engagement. Many of his stories lack characters of romance, drama, or overt emotionality - but have great power nonetheless.

Several of his most well-known poems are included. "The Art of Poetry," as able an explication of the meaning of art, life, and eternity as you might ever read and "The Tango," a poem about (among other things) Argentina ("The South, behind suspicious walls,/Keeps a knife and a guitar." In conclusion: "An impossible recollection of having died/ Fighting, on some corner of a suburb.")

Borges is considered to be a modern master, and this collection illustrates why.

Borges is with Joyce, Proust, and Kafka among the titans of literature of this century. This personal anthology ranks with his best work, and will be read when the second rate books, and second rate reviews, have been forgotton. Order now!

This work contains some , but no means all, or even most of Borges' best work. It contains ' The Maker' and 'Everything and Nothing'. It also contains the great memory story ' Funes' and one of Borges' signature stories' 'Death and the Compass'. It has an introduction by Anthony Kerrigan.
On principle it is difficult to read any work of Borges without coming away enriched.
He takes us somewhere else into a literary world of his own which resembles other literary worlds yet has a mysterious and wondrous quality all its own.
It is by this time a cliche to say that Borges is a great writer but I will repeat the cliche as I suspect most readers who have not read him yet and who will come to his work , will feel the very same thing.

Jorge Luis Borges (1899 - 1986) was one of the greatest Argentinean's writers of all times. Since 1970 he was candidate to Nobel Literature Prize, which he never attained. In 1980 he was bestowed Cervantes Prize, the Spanish major literary award. He influenced two generations of Latin American writers. Even those who despised him as "elitist writer" admired his powerful imagination and writing skills.

Jorge Luis was born in a high-class family. He was bilingual, due to his English grandmother. He moved with his parents to Europe where he resided from 1914 till 1921 and profited from enhanced education. When he returned to Argentina he fells in love with Buenos Aires. This love affaire begot several poetry volumes and inspired him many stories.
He actively participates in Literary Cenacles, collecting life long friends and unflinching foes. He used a mixture of irony and naivety to disarm his detractors and his quotes (real or attributed) are famous and endearing.
Borges was an omnivorous reader with a wide range of interests: Cabbala, Golems, Classic Mythology, Gaucho's life and hardships, Immortality, Predestination, Buddhism, Tango, Christianity and Reincarnation are just a sample. His tales, poetries and essays reflect this interest.

The present volume was the first of Borges' works I've read when I was in the last high-school year. It was a delightful experience. In just one dose I enjoyed all the genres of his creations.
"Funes the Memorious" elaborates on what happens if a person may recall every instant of his whole life. "The Aleph" deals with magic reality. "The Golem", is situated in the Middle Ages inside a European Ghetto. "Biography of Tadeo Isidoro Cruz" is a story derived from Jose Hernandez's epic poem "Martin Fierro"; here Borges cleverly creates a mini-biography of an important, yet secondary character.

With this book the reader has the unique opportunity of tasting a complete sample of this wonderful writer's work. More: a selection of his own chooses!
Give this book a chance, you will no be disappointed!
Reviewed by Max Yofre.

A little boy who doesn't like to read much is entranced by these Jack Sparrow books. They're well written for kids with a sense of adventure. Like the Hardy Boys or a dozen other series before them, they deliver a consistent and familiar character in cleverly worked plots. The one thing I'd like to change would be to add few more illustrations. All you get here is the illustration on the cover.

The shipment was on time. Honest description of the product. I got what I was hoping to get, it was received sooner than anticipated. My 11year-old son for whom this book was purchased, was especially happy to get the book wihtin three days. Will most likely purchase other products from this seller.

Both my son and I love this series. Even as a young man Captain Jack is true to himself. He hasn't changed a bit!!!!

I question whether Rob Kidd actually exists. For the Disney people to have come up with William Kidd would have been too obvious. So they came up with Robert, which is just as 17th century sounding a name as William.

This being said my nephew seems to love these books, which is good. He seems to have little interest in the true literary swashbuckling classic "Treasure Island," which is unfortunate. I do not think, however, that we should blame Disney and its team of Kidd writers for that...yet.

As I said, my nephew loves this series and while they are not R. L. Stevenson they are mildly entertaining and not long, so no a lot of time is consumed reading them. There are some definite holes in the plots and inconsistencies but they are not the kind of thing that 9-year-olds typically tend to overlook.

I would love to be reading something of more literary merit with my nephew but that is not to be, not at this time anyway. In the end it is not the worst book you could choose to bond with a child over.

I give the Jack Sparrow series a big thumbs up,( exept for the 9th because it was it was a little cheesy.)I just really want Robb Kidd to make Constance change into a girl again! Jean is one of my favorite charactors in the series, so it would be so awsome to learn more about his sister.And then Jack would have a lass( I think it's so unfair that Arabella has a boyfriend but Jack doen't have a girlfreind.They could have been the perfect match!) READ THE JACK SPARROW: POSEIDON"S PEAK!

Jack Sparrow is floating in a small boat, not even worthy of being called a dingy, as he begins his next strange, unusual and always exciting adventure. Once he lands upon a very small island, he meets a very bloody, very broken man who has no idea who he is or how he got there. The only thing he knows is...Jack.

Jack, of course, is full of sarcasm, but helps the beaten and bloody man all while trying to help him figure out how the man knows him. During this, the two encounter the natives of the island who worship a cat...a very familiar cat. Jack and the man, finally known as 'Bloody Billy,' along with 'the familiar cat' are whisked into a new adventure. In so doing, Jack comes face to face with even more familiar faces who are after the very thing Jack intend to capture.

Poseidon's Peak is a great adventure, one that my 10 year old and I loved to dive into. We've read the other young Jack Sparrow books and very much enjoyed them together. Jack once again had us on the edge of our seats (or the edge of the bed) and laughing loudly along the way.

Loved every word...as usual!

As always Rob Kidd provides a well written and entertaining read for young and old. Jack makes a new friend, finds some old ones again, and gets in even more trouble. The return of Constance the cat was a pleasant and hilarious surprise.

A little boy who doesn't like to read much is entranced by these Jack Sparrow books. They're well written for kids with a sense of adventure. Like the Hardy Boys or a dozen other series before them, they deliver a consistent and familiar character in cleverly worked plots. The one thing I'd like to change would be to add few more illustrations. All you get here is the illustration on the cover.

I bought these books for my 12yr old daughter. She's a huge POTC fan & has gobbled these books down. Now she has the whole set (9 in all). She enjoyed them immensely & wishes more were available.

I began reading this series to my 9 year old son, who suddenly became interested in reading. This series proved to be the one that captured us both. In this episode, #3 The Pirate Chase continues the adventure began and continued in the first 2 books of this series. Five young adventurers, and their "cat-sister thing", search for and finally find the Sword of Cortes! With this discovery, comes the soul of Cortes himself and almost cost them a treasured crew member's life. It is compelling reading for any POTC fan.

My boys really enjoy this series about Jack Sparrow as a teenager. Oh, and I do, too! It is great how the author uses references from the movies. These are swashbuckling adventures with interesting characters!

For the third time a am amazed by the perspective of Rob Kidd. As Jack is on the trail of Left Foot Louis with his great crew, he sails to a island that is completly deserted, so they think. But when they split up into groups and search the island not only do they encounter the pirate Left Foot Louis, they also find a nother part of the magical sword of Cortez. So as Jack trys to get the sword he will battle Left Foot Louis and learn the past of one of the crew members. Point is, all and all a great book. One not to miss "ye savvy"!

I bought these books for my 12yr old daughter. She's a huge POTC fan & has gobbled these books down. Now she has the whole set (9 in all). She enjoyed them immensely & wishes more were available.

For my grandson's birthday, who loves Captain Jack Sparrow, we purchased two of his chapter books. It's exciting when a child will anticipate reading a book, versus watching the movie. He was delighted.

My boys really enjoy this series about Jack Sparrow as a teenager. Oh, and I do, too! It is great how the author uses references from the movies. These are swashbuckling adventures with interesting characters!

I am a 21 years old and I must admit wasn't the biggest Pirates of the Carribbean fan before I read this series. I took a chance in reading it, I did love Jack Sparrow's character and was curious as to what sort of teenage life they would fabricate for him, I wasn't expecting anything spactcualr seeing as each book was so short. However when I first began this series I was hooked from the instant, the writing style is a bit to simplistic for my tastes, it's clearly aimed at a younger audience, but the characterization (please forgive my spelling, I read avidly, but I can't spell worth a damn) was amazing, and the plot was shockingly unexpected. It wasn't long before I became addicted, and when this latest book arrived in the mail I was litterally jumping for joy. I curled up in my bed and prepared for another rivitoing hour reading about Jack latest adventures and misfortunes. This was my favorite one yet, at last the ruthless, resorcful and utterly loyal pirate within him is begining to surface. I keep wondering when he will admit that he is what he's trying to fight, and now that he made his first dreadlock, he's alittle bit closer. I am terribly anxious to read what else is in store for the young Jack Sparrow.

This book is not only a real work of art, but great fun for my grandson and his sisters.

Marguerite Culhane

This pop-up book was purchased for my 7 yr. old nephew who is an avid fan of anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean. This pop-up ship has great detail. When completely opened, the front and back cover are back to back and are fastened with ties. Also included are cardboard characters to play with. The characters from the movies were easily recognizable to my nephew and he annouced their names with great excitement. When finished, everything folds back up neatly and can fit on the bookshelf.

It's a fabulous ship, coming out of the book...and with lots of paper pirate characters to pull out and play with! AMAZING!!!!!

The book opens up into the Black Pearl and it has paper characters that you pop out to play with. My two boys (who are generally VERY hard on things), actually love this and have been very careful not to tear it (which just shows how much they love it!) It is great to bring on trips because it is like a compact action toy for them, since it has their favorite characters and the ship. The only thing that I wish they had done was install some sort of pocket to store the characters in once they are "popped out".

Lorca had a pessimistic and dark impression of the New York during the Great Depression years. Lorca describes a city populated by ghosts and nightmares. This is one of the most shocking poetic works of the XX century.
I recommend the CD 'Omega'. It is an experimental 'flamenco' work by the `cantaor' Enrique Morente, based on the poems of `Poet in New York'. This music album will help you to go deeper into the book.

After reading "Poeta en Nueva York" I found out that it was really worth learning spanish. I am not exaggerating but some of Lorca's verses make me cry. They have so much emotion and fantasy in them, and they talk about experiences that take place deep inside me. The poems are surrealist but that is also what makes them amazing. The best poem is probably "Fabula y Rueda de Los Tres Amigos" where Lorca beautifully conveys his feelings towards his relationships with others and the struggle he sees within them. Strangely enough at the end of the poem he describes a lot of events concerning his death which actually coincided with his murder a few years later. Lorca's relation with the moon reflected through his simple yet overwhelming words is also charming and inspiring. I discovered through them that there was a lot more in that celestial body orbiting the earth than what I used to see before. You will feel that poetry is just flowing out of Federico. He didn't to exert a lot of effort to sound that marvellous and that right.

Federico García Lorca is among the most celebrated Spanish poets of all time. The beauty of his writing has given him a place in the gallery of the best Spanish writers. This book he wrote when he was a student at Columbia University relies on the influence he got from the surrealistic movements that were running on Europe at the time. Thus, it gets far from the poetic language used in his other books, most notably in Romancero Gitano: verses leave the regularity of the romance to explore new and rich arrangements; the metaphors grow more complex and ellaborate, making a delicious challenge to the reader; one can read a poem time and again for days and will still be unsure of its real meaning. Besides this some of the poems reach a new height on Lorca's poetry. To anybody just seeking to discover Lorca and his world, Romancero Gitano seems to be a best approach in my oppinion, but if you know it and like it, I can't help recommending Poet in New York as a new horizon to discover. If your approach to this book is open-minded, you won't be disappointed.

After reading "A Poet in New York," I can say this much:
"I don't think I am planning a trip to New York very soon." Lorca's account of the city was so visceral, raw and cruel, I could feel the hauntingly dead interactions between people, and those people's relationships to the material world around them. The accounts of violence in the streets are equally as cold and boldly unapologetic as his observations of the early morning hours when the city is first waking up.

Gabriel Garcia Lorca truly shows that when it comes to the movements as a city with ties to industry, capitalistic gain and material wealth, there is no division between the life of the human being and the life of the machine. There is almost an automated, "conveyor belt" feeling to the mechanical movement of life in the city. As soon as energy is poured into an endeavor, it is also poured out just as easily. People are as disposable as sheet metal. Their blood, their organs and their instruments of movement could be ripped away and demolished as quickly and non-emotionally as one would destroy the framework of a building and it would be of no concern to anyone else.

I believe that Lorca's observations and journal entries are a reflection of not only the mindset of one of the most well known cities in the world, applicable to the 1930s, but is also quite accurately a reflection of the state of the world today.

At the same time that many African-Americans were suffering in slavery in the United States, countless Cubans were enduring a similar fate in their own country. Juan Francisco Manzano was born into a family of Cuban slaves in 1797. He served two mistresses (the second of whom was self-centered, cruel, and vindictive) until he escaped as a teenager. Even as a young boy, Juan possessed an amazing gift for remembering and reciting poetry, which propelled him into the performing spotlight under his first mistress Doña Beatriz. When his first mistress died and he became subject to the mentally unstable La Marquesa de Prado Ameno, his incredible talent for verse as well as his passion for life, learning, and self-expression became both a curse and an escape for Juan. He clung to the poems he had internalized as well as his own creations as he endured confinement and torturous abuse as a slave.

Margarita Engle, winner of the Pura Belpré Award and the Junior Library Guild Selection Editor's Choice for The Poet Slave of Cuba, recounts the heartrending biography of Juan's childhood and teenage years as a slave. Respectfully echoing Juan Manzano's poetic voice by writing in verse herself, Engle chronicles Juan's story through multiple voices. Even with the conciseness that poetry demands, Margarita Engle captures the individual personalities of the various characters of this story--Juan, Maria del Pilar (Juan's mother), Toribio (Juan's father), Doña Beatriz (his first mistress), La Marquesa de Prado Ameno (his second mistress), Don Nicolas (La Marquesa's son), and the Overseer. Engle illuminates Juan's passion for knowledge, his quiet patience, as well as his ferocious tenacity. She underscores the icy, cruel selfishness of La Marquesa De Prado Ameno. Maria del Pilar's steadfast compassion spills out of the voice Engle pens for her. Even the Overseer's internal torment over being the instrument of torture for La Marquesa seeps through his limited lines.

As a Cuban-American author with a background in botany and agronomy, Margarita Engle not only tells an inspirational story of suffering and survival, but she also grafts in glimpses of the island setting, the agriculture backdrop, and the cultural hierarchy of nineteenth century Cuba. Sean Qualls' intermittent illustrations in shades of black, grey, and white create an effective spotlight for scenes in Engle's verse.

Although Engle describes Juan's cruel punishment, this book would be completely suitable for middle- or high school age students. In fact, Engle's book contains very little blood, gore, or overly-explicit material. It is the brutality, mercilessness, and inhumanity of the slaves' punishments that disturb the readers' unaccustomed minds. Engle's book does not gloss over the inhumane treatment of Cuban slaves in the 19th century, yet it provides a story of hope and transcending harsh realities.

You learn about the life of this child and experience his triumph over adversity. The book makes you want to read the child's original words even though they are in Spanish.

How would you feel if your former master, who had loved you and cared for you like you were her own child, had said that once she died, you and your family would be free. Happy, right? Well what if no one paid any attention and you were sold to another master who punishes you for crimes you didn't commit?
That is the dilemma Juan Fransisco Manzano faces when his former owner, who took him to parties and had him wow her guest with his uncanny ability to recite poems and verses from the bible. At his baptism, Dona Beatriz, his former owner, declares that once she dies, he and his family will be free, for the price of 300 pesos, and any new-born babies will be born free. But once Dona Beatriz dies, Juan's family discovers they don't have enough money to buy Juan's freedom. So he is sold to La Marquesa De Prado Amendo, whose son, Don Nicolas, takes a liking to Juan, and befriends him. But La Marquesa frequently and brutally punishes Juan for sneaking peaks at her books. But she is grateful enough to let Juan watch her sons take art classes, and Don Nicholas gives Juan some parchment and a stub of crayon to draw with. Eventually, Don Nicholas helps give Juan the courage to run away, and Juan flees in search of his mother.
In really enjoyed this book for three reasons: the poetry, the character development, and the Spanish vocabulary sprinkled into the text.
The first reason I liked this book was in was written in free verse poetry form. This made the book very quick and easy to read, which made me like it more. It was also very unique, and was very well done.
The second reason I liked this book was the character development, mainly Juan. He grows up a lot in the book, from age eleven to age sixteen. But he also develops, by not abiding to La Marquesa's rules or caring about the consequences. He also learns that he doesn't need to keep sneakily buying pen and paper using the money he receives at parties. He can just store all the knowledge in his head.
And finally, I enjoyed the Spanish vocabulary sprinkled in. I take Spanish class on B days and found that the Spanish words were very useful. I also like how the author used in text definitions to explain to you what the word was.
In conclusion, I thought this was a fabulous book and would recommend it to someone looking for either a book written in poetry of a book with Spanish sprinkled into the text.

C. Davidson

The verse novel is a tricky fickle thing. Though no one to the best of my knowledge has ever put down the rules that govern the creation of a verse novel, there are always a couple unwritten understandings. No verse novel should tell its tale through poetry when it would make more sense to tell it through prose. Also, just breaking up a bunch of sentences into lines doesn't mean you're writing poetry or anything. The ideal verse novel is one where it makes sense to write a story through poetry AND just happens to have an ear for beautiful language. Such is the case with Margaraita's, "The Poet Slave of Cuba". In the book it says that, "The life of Juan Francisco Manzano haunted her for years before she finally realized that to do justice to the Poet Slave's story, she needed to write it in verse". The result is an achingly beautiful and horrific story that deserves to be read by teens everywhere.

Born a slave in Cuba in 1797, Juan Francisco Manzano grew up the toast of his owner Dona Beatriz. His ability to memorize speeches, plays, and words of all sorts made him a kind of sought over pet to the Spanish aristocracy. Though she promised to grant him his freedom when she died and she allowed both his parents to buy their freedom, Juan Francisco remained a slave after Dona Beatriz's death and was handed over to the dangerously psychotic Marquesa de Prado Ameno. The Marquesa resents Juan from the moment he is put into her possession and every attempt he makes at reading or writing is put down with shocking violence. A biography told in poems, this book shows the worst of slavery's cruelties and the sheer will it takes to not only survive under such conditions but escape.

The text in the book alternates between different points of view on almost every page. In a sense, the villains have just as much of a say as the heroes. Juan, for his part, sometimes will have three pages in a row of thoughts, each with its own separate poem. Alongside this format are illustrations by Sean Qualls. Qualls has a style that usually doesn't do much for me. In this case, however, he's the perfect complement to Engle's tale. The white aristocracy with their blank eyes and sharp pointed teeth are positively horrific. These images magnify the storyline. Here, for example, are two ladders that lead suggestively against a wall. Now a shiny coin. Now a butterfly. They are rough unfinished drawings that show far better Juan's situation than any polished colored print could ever convey.

At first I was a little perturbed that for all the book's poetry and loveliness, I couldn't find any actual poetry by the real Juan Francisco Manzano. Then I reached the end of the title and in the back found that author Margarita Engle not only offers us a biography of the true Juan Francisco, but reprints his bibliographic details as well.

Now, there is a debate surrounding this book. It is not a debate that questions whether the story is told well or whether or not Engle gets her point across to the reader. It's more a question of audience. Though published by Henry Holt, Inc's young reader division, and not a specific teen imprint, there is little doubt in my mind that this is not exactly kiddie fare. It's repeatedly violent, often to extremes. There is more bloodshed, torture, screams, and pain in this book than you'll find in most children's literature. To put it plainly, this is the "Beloved", of kiddie lit. Which, when you think about it, doesn't make it very kid-friendly at all. Teens, on the other hand, will find much to appreciate here. Juan Francisco spends much of this book as a teen, after all. His thoughts and actions are not those of a young boy, but rather a man trapped in an untenable situation. As such, I'd steer this book clear of the shorter set and aim towards kids with some maturity.

You read about the main character's pain, and to some extent a kind of apathy has to take place or the story's too difficult to bear. As a reader, you actually find yourself wondering how a person could live under such grueling conditions without a hope of a reprieve and still want to live. And there is a moment in the book when someone says that good always triumphs over evil. That it is amazing that the devil even tries. Words like these and phrases of this sort have been turning about in my brain ever since I put, "The Poet Slave of Cuba" down. Engle's text has a kind of staying power that wordsmiths everywhere should envy. Envy and admire.

I guess I should point out that while, "The Poet Slave of Cuba" is well-written, smart, and beautiful, it is not a pleasant book to read. Teens who pick up this book should be informed right off the bat as to what the book consists of. Just the same, it's definitely one of the more honest treatises on slavery I've ever had the chance to read. Engle does a magnificent job with her subject. She does the man's memory proud.