The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist

                                                                         Book Review:

 

Bibliography-

Engle, M. (2015). The lightning dreamer: Cuba’s greatest abolitionist. Clarion Books.

ISBN 054454112X

 

Plot Summary- 

Opposing slavery in Cuba in the nineteenth century was dangerous. The most daring abolitionists were poets who veiled their work in metaphor. Of these, the boldest was Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, nicknamed Tula. In passionate, accessible verses of her own, Engle evokes the voice of this book-loving feminist and abolitionist who bravely resisted an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen and was ultimately courageous enough to fight against injustice.

 

Critical Analysis-

The Lightning Dreamer is a wonderfully unique book that I think will appeal to middle grade readers. It is a historical fiction novel told through poems written by Tula, the younger version of Cuba’s greatest abolitionist, Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda. It is effortless to immediately connect with Tula’s story as she describes the injustices in her world including slavery, woman’s rights, arranged marriage, and freedom of speech. Tula is fascinated with reading and writing stories of her own but unfortunately, due to the norms of her society in Cuba, she is restricted from freeing her thoughts and imagination on paper and books. Students will appreciate the real story of how Avellaneda and her brother, Manuel, teamed together to speak out against slavery. This could be used in the classroom as a read aloud book in middle grades, because it is written in verse from the perspectives of different characters in the story. The point of view constantly shifts, so different students can read different characters. The authentic multicultural and historical aspects of this book make it very understandable for both native Spanish speaking ESL students and native English speakers.

 

 Review Excerpts-

Pura Belpré Honor Book Winner 

2013 VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers  

ALSA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2014 Americas Award Winner

2014 Intnl. Latino Book Award

"This is the context for a splendid novel that celebrates one brave woman who rejected a constrained existence with enduring words that continue to sing of freedom."  —Booklist, starred review  

"An inspiring fictionalized verse biography of one of Cuba's most influential writers. . . . Fiery and engaging, a powerful portrait of the liberating power of art."  —Kirkus 

"A quick and powerful read worthy of addition to any collection. The verses speak of tolerance and acceptance beyond the context of this story."  —VOYA  

 

Connections-

-Students can listen to an interview with the author on writing about Cuba.

https://www.teachingbooks.net/qlw5ofe

-Students can consider cultural representation in the text by comparing and contrasting their own experiences with elements of the story by creating a one-pager. 

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