The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano
Juan Francisco Manzano was born a slave in Cuba in 1797. Taken from his loving birth mother, he was placed in the home of a wealthy woman who insisted he call her mother. She treated young Juan like a pet. The boy found solace in words, reading books and making up poems of his own. “I love the words / written with my feathery mind / in the air / and with my sharp fingernails / on leaves in the garden.” In this breathtaking biography, Margarita Engle has written poems to tell the story of Juan’s childhood and young adulthood. Her powerful narrative—in the voice of Juan and others in his life—is both joy and heartbreak to read, evocative of all the cruelty, beauty, and irony that was Juan’s life. Sean Qualls’s occasional black-and-white illustrations are haunting in a volume that concludes with a note providing additional information on Juan’s life, and brief excerpts (in Spanish, with English translations) of his remarkable poetry. ©2007 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
Illustrated by Sean Qualls
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 12 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Formats:
Biography, Autobiography and Memoir
Poetry
Subjects:
19th Century
Bilingual Books
Biography
Cubans and Cuban Americans
History (Nonfiction)
Slavery
Spanish Language
World History
Writers and Writing
Diversity subjects:
Black/African
Latine
Publish Year: 2006
Pages: 183
ISBN: 0805077065
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 811 Engle