Book Review Poetry #4

 The Surrender Tree

Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom

By Margarita Engle

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Engle, Margarita. 2008. THE SURRENDER TREE POEMS OF CUBA'S STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM. New York, New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 139780805086744

PLOT SUMMARY

The Surrender Tree is a verse novel where we follow the life of Rosario Castellanos from 1850-1899, the story of the fight for Cuban independence is told through poems from the point of view of a slave hunter's child.  Rosa, a child slave, who some people call her a child-witch because she learned to use flowers and roots to cure the sick.  Her story is told as she bravely heals wounded Cubans and Spanish people while hiding in the caves of Cuba.  Rosa turns hidden caves into hospitals for those that know how to find her.  She falls in love and marries Jose who also becomes a nurse, together they serve as nurses healing the wounds of slavery and war.  

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Margarita Engle, the author of The Surrender Tree, wrote this powerful novel that teaches children about Cuba's war history and also transmits feeling of hope for humanity through its main character Rosa.  The poems in this book represent the thoughts of each one of the characters, the stanzas do not rhyme and some are longer than others, it is obvious that each word has been chosen carefully to make each poem a perfectly thought of each one of the characters.   Engle does an amazing making each one of the poems feel like genuine thoughts that transports the reader to that historical era.  

This book contains authentic and meaningful language which create feelings of sorrow and despair caused by death and the destruction of war.  Engle includes many metaphors, "Rosa as a bee with no stinger," and when she states that the Spanish think she is dangerous, but she really just wants to provide relief just as the bees on the mountainside only provide honey and do not sting.  The use of meaningful language in the poems create vivid images that aids in creating mental images to older children and they can better relate and feel the pain felt throughout the story.  

REVIEW EXCERPTS

 Newbery Honor Award 2009

 Pura Belpre Award 2009 

Claudia Lewis Award 2009

Starred review in SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: "THE SURRENDER TREE is hauntingly beautiful, revealing pieces of Cuba's troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for Rosa's care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to eat."

Starred review in BOOKLIST: "Many readers will be caught by the compelling narrative voices and want to pursue the historical accounts in Engle's bibliography."

CONNECTIONS

*Lead a discussion about the destruction of war, create a chart of the feelings brought upon by war.

*Have the children write about putting themselves in one of the characters shoes and what is something they would do differently if they were that character.

*Read other books by Margarita Engle and compare to THE SURRENDER TREE:

Engle, Margarita. SILVER PEOPLE: VOICES FROM THE PANAMA CANAL. ISBN 9780544668706

Engle, Margarita. THE LIGHTNING DREAMER: CUBA'S GREATEST ABOLITIONISTS. ISBN 9780547807430