Juan Francisco Manzano was born a slave in Cuba in 1797. Taken from his loving birth mother, he was placed in the home of a wealthy woman who insisted he call her mother. She treated young Juan like a pet. The boy found solace in words, reading books and making up poems of his own. “I love the words / written with my feathery mind / in the air / and with my sharp fingernails / on leaves in the garden.” In this breathtaking biography, Margarita Engle has written poems to tell the story of Juan’s childhood and young adulthood. Her powerful narrative—in the voice of Juan and others in his life—is both joy and heartbreak to read, evocative of all the cruelty, beauty, and irony that was Juan’s life. Sean Qualls’s occasional black-and-white illustrations are haunting in a volume that concludes with a note providing additional information on Juan’s life, and brief excerpts (in Spanish, with English translations) of his remarkable poetry. (Age 12 and older)

Engle presents a powerful biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, exposing the physical and psychological horrors of slavery. Manzano, a child prodigy, earns manumission for his parents, but his own is to be delayed until the death of his first owner. After his owner’s death, Manzano remains enslaved by a new owner, La Marquesa de Prado Ameno, who disregards his manumis sion. She engages him in a horrific battle for control of his actions, thoughts, and dispositions. Her punishments are maniacal; his endurance approaches superhuman. Engle merges poems from multiple perspectives, including Manzano’s, his parents, and owners to form a compelling narrative. 2008 Pura Belpré Author Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults, ALA Notable Children’s Books; Winner of the Américas Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature, IRA Children’s Book Award, IRA Teachers’ Choices, NCTE Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts, Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year, NYPL Books for the Teen Age, CCBC Choice. jfc