the firefly letters a suffragette's journey to cuba

“This engaging title documents 50-year-old Swedish suffragette and novelist Fredrika Bremer's three-month travels around Cuba in 1851. “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.” - Booklist “This slim, elegant volume opens the door to discussions of slavery, women's rights, and the economic disparity between rich and poor.” - Publishers Weekly Another fine volume by a master of the novel in verse.” - Kirkus Reviews, starred review “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.

It's a Pura Belpre Honor Book for Narrative and a Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year, by Margarita Engle, the Newbery Honor winning author of The Surrender Tree, The Poet Slave of Cuba, Hurricane Dancers, Tropical Secrets, and many other books.Īn American Library Association Notable Children's BookĪ Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year

The Firefly Letters is a story about a little-known early feminist. In this quietly powerful new book, which is young adult historical fiction based on a true story, award-winning poet Margarita Engle paints a portrait of early women’s rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture. Soon Elena sneaks out of the house to join them. Yet when Fredrika sets off to learn about the people of this magical island, she is accompanied by Cecilia, a young slave who longs for her lost home in Africa. The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. When Fredrika Bremer asked the Swedish Consulate to find her a quiet home in the Cuban countryside, she expected a rustic thatched hut, not this luxurious mansion in Matanzas, where Elena, the daughter of the house, can barely step foot outside. A powerful novel in verse about an early women’s rights pioneer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life.

The firefly letters a suffragette's journey to cuba