The Firefly Letters, A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
2. PLOT SUMMARY
In 1851, Fredrika Bremer leaves her home in Sweden for a three-month visit to Cuba. Upon arriving, she is joined by Elena, the wealthy young daughter of the
homeowner, and Cecilia, a slave belonging to Elena’s family. It is Cecilia who
serves as a translator for Fredrika during her visit. Based on Fredrika’s bona
fide diaries, the novel reveals the unlikely friendship between these three
young women. Fredrika struggles with the
inequities she sees in all women’s lives and her experience in Cuba solidifies this
political and humanitarian position.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Award winning author Margarita Engle has produced a beautiful novel written in verse; it is truly one of her great literary triumphs. While the book is written for a younger middle school and high school audience, readers of all ages will savor this simple and unassuming novel.
One of the strengths of the novel is the veracity of the
characters’ environment. Readers are easily immersed in the individual
ramifications of the historical events.
One of the passages that specifically address these events is the
passage when Fredrika mentions that she should “cover my head” because planters
pay “fifty gold American dollars per child.” In only a few words, readers can
fully visualize the horrors of witnessing slavery.
The differences in
socio-economic level between the characters are effortlessly illustrated
throughout the book. At the end of the novel, Engle explains that Elena is a
fictional character. However, it is
clear that Elena is a composition of the many young women borne of privilege
that Fredrika encountered during her visit to Cuba. Elena’s character is
multi-faceted and the freedom that she has been oft granted in her life may
contribute to her obvious empathy towards Cecilia and the other slaves.
When Cecilia’s husband, Beni notes “I am surprised by the
friendliness of the foreign lady. No
free person has ever treated me like an equal,” younger readers will understand
the extent that slavery separates individual classes of people. Overall, Engle’s novel will cause readers to pause and
consider their freedoms and how those freedoms have evolved over the last 150
years.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS - Pura Belpré Honor Award - 2011
- Américas Award - Won 2011
- ALA Notable Book - 2011
- Great Lakes' Great Books Awards - Nominated 2011
- Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year - 2011
- California Book Awards - Nominated 2010
- IRA Notable Books for a Global Society - 2011
- Amelia Bloomer List - 2011
Starred Review from Kirkus: "The free-verse
novel effectively alternates the voices of the three protagonists...And like
the firefly light, Engle’s poetry is a gossamer thread of subtle beauty weaving
together three memorable characters who together find hope and courage. Another
fine volume by a master of the novel in verse."
Review from School Library Journal: "The
easily digestible, poetic narrative makes this a perfect choice for reluctant
readers, students of the women’s movement, those interested in Cuba, and teens
with biography assignments."
Review from Publishers Weekly: "Engle
spins her latest historical novel-in-verse from the actual diaries of a
19th-century suffragette...This slim, elegant volume opens the door to
discussions of slavery, women's rights, and the economic disparity between rich
and poor"
Review from Booklist: "Through
this moving combination of historical viewpoints, Engle creates dramatic
tension among the characters, especially in the story of Elena, who makes a
surprising sacrifice."
5. CONNECTIONS
*Other books by Margarita Engle
The Surrender Tree. ISBN 978-0312608712
The Lightening Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist. ISBN 978-0547807430
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. ISBN 0805092404
The Lightening Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist. ISBN 978-0547807430
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck. ISBN 0805092404
*Other books written in verse
Creech, Sharon. Hate That Cat: A Novel. ISBN 978-0061430947
Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. ISBN 978-0590371254
LeZotte, Ann Clare. T4: A Novel. ISBN978-0547046846
LeZotte, Ann Clare. T4: A Novel. ISBN978-0547046846