The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle Book Rev
Written by Margarita Engle
Published by Square Fish in 2010
ISBN: 978-0312608712
Plot Summary: The book is based on Rosario Castellanos Castellanos who is a famous person in Cuban American history. She was a freed slave who works as a nurse for the rebels who are fighting against the Spanish in the mid to late 1800's in Cuba. The poems are free verse and are written from the perspective of 4 different people: Rosa, Jose her husband, a slave hunter named Lieutenant Death in the story, and a girl named Sylvia. The novel is written in 5 different parts that cover Rosa's story from childhood to adulthood.
The first part is titled "The Names of the Flowers" and is talks about how Rosa grows up in the field amd learns about the healing properties of different plants and herbs from the women. Rosa helps to heal runaway slaves who have been beaten after running away and this is where she meets Teniente Muerte otherwise known as Lieutenant Death. The Lieutenant doesn't like Rosa but takes her along when her owner gives her to him. The 2nd part of the book "The Ten Years' War" covers her freedom after being let go by the plantation owners who are tired of working under Spanish rule. Rosa meets Jose Varona who she falls in love with and they both work as nurses helping to heal the freedom fighters. Rosa is stalked by the Lieutenant but ends up helping him when he is injured. The 3rd part of the story is called the Little War but Rosa wonders why it is called the little war when there is still so much death and destruction all around her. The 4th part of the book is the "War of Independence" where the US becomes involved after the sinking of the ship called Maine by the Spanish Army. This is where we are introduced to Silvia who is an 11 year old girl that Rosa and Jose take in as she is an orphan from the war. Rosa teaches Silvia how to be a nurse and help heal others.
The final part of the Story is called "The Surrender Tree" and refers to the tree where the Spanish surrender to the US. Rosa is happy that they are no longer under Spanish rule but is disappointed as the US takes over ruling the country instead of setting it free. Jose and Silvia make poignant comments about how they still have the chance to dream of a free Cuba for them to live in when the story wraps up.
Critical Analysis (Including Cultural Markers): The fact that each page is it's own story allows for the reader to follow along with each person's unique part of the book which weaves itself together into a tale that anyone can relate to as it vividly explains the human experience. Imagery and the language stand out as it shows us the danger and violence of war and how it affects not just those who are fighting, but also those who must support the fighters. Engle's words about Rosa and her story bring about a natural healing and calmness that one knows that nurses need when they are faced with terrible atrocities like the slave hunter collecting ears of the slaves who run away to try to intimidate the other slaves from doing the same. Engle's use of language stay true to her heritage as she includes many Spanish phrases into her writing as well as a smattering of other languages that Rosa faces when she is trying to help the sick. Even though there are no pictures and illustrations in this book, Engle's use of metaphor and imagery allows the reader to transport themselves to Rosa's life and puts you right in the middle of the action of Rosa doing her best every day to help and heal those around her. It was helpful as well having the timeline and Engle's personal connection to the events in Cuba to help bring the story to life.
Review: School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up—Often, popular knowledge of Cuba begins and ends with late-20th-century textbook fare: the Cuban Revolution, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Fidel Castro. The Surrender Tree, however, transports readers to another, though no less tumultuous, era. Spanning the years 1850–1899, Engle’s poems construct a narrative woven around the nation’s Wars for Independence. The poems are told in alternating voices, though predominantly by Rosa, a “freed” slave and natural healer destined to a life on the lam in the island’ s wild interior. Other narrators include Teniente Muerte, or Lieutenant Death, the son of a slave hunter turned ruthless soldier; José, Rosa’s husband and partner in healing; and Silvia, an escapee from one of Cuba’s reconcentration camps. The Surrender Tree is hauntingly beautiful, revealing pieces of Cuba’s troubled past through the poetry of hidden moments such as the glimpse of a woman shuttling children through a cave roof for Rosa’s care or the snapshot of runaway Chinese slaves catching a crocodile to eat. Though the narrative feels somewhat repetitive in its first third, one comes to realize it is merely symbolic of the unending cycle of war and the necessity for Rosa and other freed slaves to flee domesticity each time a new conflict begins. Aside from its considerable stand-alone merit, this book, when paired with Engle’s The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Holt, 2006), delivers endless possibilities for discussion about poetry, colonialism, slavery, and American foreign policy.—Jill Heritage Maza, Greenwich High School, CT , School Library Journal
Connection: Students could write poems from the point of view of the different people in the war including a Spanish or American soldier, a peasant who is stuck in the camps, or a rebel in the Cuban Army. Students can learn more about the war for Cuban independence at these sites:
https://www.pbs.org/crucible/tl1.html
More books by Margarita Engle
Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music ISBN: 978-1520018171
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