2008 Beplre Award (text)

The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzana by Margarita Engle

This is the biography of celebrated poet Juan Francisco Manzana, a 19th century Cuban Poet. Engle tells us of the horrible life of Juan Manzana as a young boy. Juan was a slave and had a female master by the name of Beatriz. He is an intelligent young boy who is well liked by his master. But when his master dies he is forced to another master, a female slave Marquesa de Prado Amens. Marquesa is different than Beatriz and she is very cruel with him, severely punishing him often. This book reveals factual information about the Cuban slavery. This is an intense book full of information about slavery. Slavery could be a hard topic to read for young adults and children. Most children do not know much about it so this book could be an informational.