About book The Surrender Tree: Poems Of Cuba's Struggle For Freedom (2008)
The Surrender Tree is a collection of poems that read like a book about Cuba's fight for freedom against Spain in the 1800's. Different characters "narrate" different poems and share different points of view hiding in the woods, burning crops, starving, running, and living in caves. Historically based, the poems show a glimpse of life's true experiences during Cuba's civil war.I highly recommend this book, especially for young readers who (like myself) might not know a lot about Cuba's history. I was fascinated to read the correlation between Cuba's reconcentration camps and Hitler's concentration camps and amazed that Cuba survived three back to back wars only to see Spain's flag lowered and the United State's flag raised. I loved books based on historical fact and thought this was a fascinating read. I flipped through the pages for a very fast read, as the poetry is simple, elegant, and easy to understand. On the YALSA best nonfiction list for 2009.I knew enough to know I did not know much at all--about Cuba, and her many wars with Spain. In fact, I remembered virtually nothing about Cuba except for the United States' involvement with the country after the U.S. battleship "Maine" mysteriously exploded. Theodore Roosevelt and his "Rough Riders" were dispatched after and shortly thereafter the war was "won."Aside form what I learned in school, I have one of the most obscure Johnny Cash songs imaginable called "Cuban Soldier," an old folk song that sympathizes with the Cuban rebels who want freedom from Spain. The song may be good supplemental material for a classroom setting, but there is another song that is even more appropriate. More on that later. Luckily, Margarita Engle has provided a very brief, very helpful, half-a-dozen pages of explanation and history refreshment. From 1810, when "Cuba's first separatist movement is suppressed by colonial Spain," to 1902 when "[t]he United States grants autonomy to Cuba," readers are allowed to take a glimpse at the period of time the plot of the story covers.I say "story" rather than novel, because Engle's book is a collection of poems, and with the protagonists and antagonists always reflection on situations in very easy, simple verses. The book is considered appropriate for middle school classes, and I believe that leveling is accurate; though "Versos Sencillos," or "Simple Verses," is a poem written by Jose Marti, a Cuban rebel whose poem not only opens the book, but Marti is referenced throughout the story. The folk song "Guantanamera," famously sung and translated by Pete Seeger, is a direct adaptation of Marti's poem and certainly worth listening to as a supplement to understanding the plight of the characters in the story.The main protagonist, Rosa, never feels like a cliche. She is a Cuban nurse, committed to healing anyone who is hurt--including Spain's occupying troops. She does so out of respect for her profession, yet she does not begrudge the fact that many of her Spanish patients end up joining the Cuban cause after receiving such mercy. The young girl turns old by the end of the book, and while her devotion as a nurse never fades, but her disillusionment with warfare causes her to think, uncomfortably, about the price of victory and freedom. The supporting cast and even the villains are all rounded characters, all of whom change as war after war ravages Cuba. Ultimately, the story is about both a testament to the sacrifices of heroines and heroes in times of great strife and an unanswered question of war: does an individual really have any impact in the end?Time spent on book: about four hours.
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Interesting introduction to Cuba's complex history.
—morrell88
