The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist

The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greaters Abolitionist by Margarita Engle. Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on September 15, 2015.

Written about Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, one of the biggest opponents to slavery in Cuba during the 1800s, this book of poems beautifully captures the life of a woman who wanted better for her country and wasn't afraid to speak out even if it was dangerous. The book opens with stories of de Avellaneda (or "Tula") sneaking books from her brothers in order to read, since she was told books weren't meant for girls. This immediately endears you to her, as well as gives the reader an idea of what kind of world she was growing up in.

Normally I wouldn't suggest a book of poetry for children, as it's been my experience that it can sort of isolate certain readers with negative outlooks on the form. But I think this book could pique the interestes of almost any student who was interested in the story of a woman who dared to defy her country in order to do what's right. The poems aren't flowery or featuring the typical lovey subject matter that many children might associate with poetry. They're simple but powerful, as Engle makes excellent work of her word choices and line breaks. This book would be excellent to read aloud, either in a history or English classroom.

Specifically, I think that reading a portion of this book to a class and then having them write their own poem about a specific person in history could be a good assignment. It combines two school subjects and gives them the freedom to choose which area of history they like best. Allowing them to write freeform poems, such as the ones by Engle in this book, would also be a good idea as it doesn't put too many restrictions on what they're writing.

This book reminded me of one of my favorite poetry collections, When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz. Her poems are about her life as a Native American woman, spanning both her childhood and her adult years. The poems contain some mature themes such as drug usage, so it wouldn't be appropriate for a younger audience. But I think teens who don't like "typical" poetry could get into this book as it's much more freeform and the poems feel very real with a lot of raw emotions that they could connect to.