The Surrender Tree

Margarita Engle

Eph 2009 · Penguin Random House Audio · Kuchazwe ngu-Various

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How can there be
a little war?
Are some deaths
smaller than others,
leaving mothers
who weep
a little less?

Cuba has fought three wars for independence, and still she is not free. Her people have been rounded up in reconcentration camps, where there is always too little food and too much illness. Rosa knows how to heal sickness with medicines made from wild plants. But with a price on her head for helping the rebels, Rosa dares not go out in the open. Instead, she turns hidden caves into hospitals for those who know how to find her. Black, white, Cuban, Spanish–Rosa does her best for everyone, even Lieutenant Death, who has sworn to kill her. Yet who can heal a country so torn apart by war? In this history in verse, acclaimed poet Margarita Engle has created a lyrical, powerful portrait of Cuba.

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Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet, novelist, and journalist whose work has been published in many countries. Her books include the critically acclaimed The Poet Slave of Cuba, which was named an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Bank Street College of Education Best Book, and a Bulletin Blue Ribbon book, among other honors. She lives with her husband in Northern California.