Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano

Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2006.

Using a free verse style, Margarita Engle will capture readers with the story of the Cuban boy, Juan Francisco. Using alternating points of view gives a vivid imagine of the feelings each character has. She starts this biography with Juan, age six, who is a slave that is a genius with words that helps his parents become free, including any future brother and sisters. His owner promises him freedom when she passes away, but he soon learns is not true when she does at age eleven and he is given to a woman who abuses him dramatically. Readers will get a thorough understanding of an enslaved person in Cuba during the late 1700s and see the cruelty that took place. Also, Sean Quall does an incredible job with the black-and-white sketches. These pictures help readers see the suffering that Juan encounters and gives readers a clear vision of the story. As you are reading along some of the pictures will pull at your heart as you can truly feel what Juan is going through. These illustrations only add more strength to the book that will give young readers a true feeling of this situation. Although, I did feel it took a few pages to get into the rhythm of the book and have an understanding of each character, once you are in full swing you will not be able to put it down.