Book Review for BETRAYED

Book Review by Allie Davis

MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Sneve. Virginia Driving Hawk. 1974. Betrayed. New York: Holiday House. ISBN 0823402436

Connect with the Author 
https://conservancy.umn.edu/bitstream/handle/11299/166330/Sneve,%20Virginia%20Driving%20Hawk.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      One of her lesser-known works, Betrayed by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve is a fictional account of a true event, the Santee Sioux uprising against White Settlers in the Lake Shetak, Minnesota area and what happened to the captors and captives from both sides.  Sneve does a wonderful job of describing many Lakota/Dakota cultural experiences such as the vision quest into manhood and tribal councils.  The third person point of view used in the story accurately portrays three different view points as the story progresses.  The Teton Lakota/Sioux version is told using Charger and Kills and Comes. (Even though the author uses this historical name, I have a hard time using the word Sioux because in modern day, this is slang, much the same as the term "redskin" or "injun.")  The White version of the story is told through the character of Sarah Duley, a young captive, and the final version is Chief White Lodge's side.  He is the chief of the raiding party at Lake Shetak.  An author's note at the beginning states that the author has retained the true names of the characters and places and followed as closely as possible to the actual historic evidence for the events but used her imagination.  In doing so, she creates a quick, easy read of the uprising.  However, I feel like it is over simplistic, and I found myself puzzling over her portrayal of the White captives being grateful to their captives during their captivity.  She makes them out to be happy and grateful prisoners, a concept that is foreign to me.  I have read much on the Lakota/Dakota Indians, and most of the time when adult prisoners were taken, it was not a pleasant experience. Sneve briefly hints at this when she indicates that Mrs. Duley becomes mentally incapacitated during their time with the Santee.     
     The novel's setting initially begins with Charger and Kills and Comes listening to the details of the various uprisings by the Santee.  They agree not to take part in them, and Charger has a vision which leads them on their vision quest.  In their vision quest, they learn that they must protect the White captives.  They travel to meet the Santee camp, lead by White Lodge, and finally end up bartering for all of the captives.  Consequently, the setting changes quickly and many times because White Lodge is running from the soldiers, and we are following his path.  On the run from the soldiers, Sneve presents well-known common knowledge about the lack of food and game in the remaining Indian Territory, the starvation faced by tribes, and the brutal punishments that awaited the Natives when they were finally caught up to.  
       After their initial surrender to the reservation life, the Teton Lakotas became peaceful and tried to work in cooperation with the White Indian Agents.  When the uprisings began to occur by the Santee Lakota, it was due to the broken treaties, starvation, and discontentment the Santee were facing.  The Tetons refused to cooperate with their cousins, and this is where the story picks up.  Charger and Kills and Comes truly believe that their ancestral traditions should be kept; these include not starving or torturing any captives taken during war.  It is because of the way that the Shetake prisoners are being treated that the two young native men feel the need to free them to send back to White settlements.  They are willing to sacrifice themselves if needed, and they do end up trading their own guns and horses to get the captives back.  True honor is shown through their story.  
       In my opinion, the overall presentation of this account seems too simplistic, almost unrealistic.  Too easy, I think.  It's not a bad read though, and I read it all in less than two hours.  It would make a good introduction to anyone interested in the Mankato mass execution, but for truly authentic sources on this event, I would most certainly dig deeper and look elsewhere.  I felt like the characterizations were a little "off," including the portrayal  of both the Natives and the Whites.  Perhaps this may be the reason that the book itself has won no major awards...short and sweet, but too simplistic in reality. 

AWARDS: Although I found no specific awards related to the novel Betrayed, for thirty years, Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve has written children's books with the intention of dispelling stereotypes and negative images of Native Americans.  She has brought the richness of Native American culture and heritage to thousands of children. She herself has won many awards: 

• National Humanities Medal, 2000
• Human Rights Award, South Dakota State Counselors Association, 1996
• Author-Illustrator Human and Civil Rights Award, 1996
• Spirit of Crazy Horse Award, 1996
• South Dakota Education Association Human Services Award, 1994
• Native American Prose Award, University of Nebraska Press, 1992
• Woman of Achievement, National Federation of Press Women, 1975

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Library of Congress Summary, "Relates the events of the Santee Indian raid on the Lake Shetek, Minnesota, settlement and the subsequent fate of the captives." (C) March, 2008.
• SDSU, https://www.sdstate.edu/sites/default/files/MA019_Sneve_FA.docx_.pdf

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to Native-American Indians/Lakota/Dakota Sioux, , Lake Shetak uprising in Minnesota, broken treaties, reservations, Chief White Lodge, and Mankato.

• Investigate the Santee Sioux uprising in Lake Shetak, Minnesota.
• Research the Lakota/Dakota Native Americans and their connection.
• Research the Mass Execution of 38 Santee Sioux at Mankato and the presidential pardon given to 250+ other Natives by President Lincoln.

Other Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve titles to read:

• Sioux Women  ISBN 1941813070
• High Elk's Treasure  ISBN 082192415X
• Bad River Boys: A Meeting of the Lakota Sioux with Lewis and Clark   ISBN 1437971407

Gather more Native-American Lakota titles:

·       Standing Bear, Luther. My People the Sioux  ISBN 0803293615

·       Hicks, Patrick. A Harvest of Words: Contemporary South Dakota Poetry  ISBN 0931170036
·       Wagner, Sally R.  Daughters of Dakota:  Stories of Friendship Between the Settlers and the Dakota Indians  ISBN 188059036

Book Review for CODE TALKER

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruchac, Joseph. 2005. Code Talkers. New York: Scholastic, Inc. ISBN 9780439891004

Connect with the Author 
http://josephbruchac.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
     In Joseph Bruchac's Code Talker, Ned Begay is an old man, telling the story of both himself and the other Navajo Code Talkers from Dinetah during World War II.  He starts from the beginning of his formal education at the boarding school in Gallup, and the story concludes when he returns from the war.  Bruchac spares no details about the cultural mistreatment of the Navajo children during this time period, from the theft of their jewelry to their beatings for speaking their native tongue.  Although he is not a Navajo Native, Bruchac has spent much time with them, and has walked their "Trail of Tears" called the "Long Walk." (He is of Abenaki descent.) He has listened to the elders and their stories and does a magnificent job of weaving those stories (including the actual code talkers) into this historical fiction account of what has been deemed the most important mission of WWII.  Authentic in all details, from the corn prayers to the ceremonial dances, Bruchac portrays the Navajo Nation with both respect and dignity while maintaining their fierce loyalty to the American nation despite their discrimination both before and after the war.  My absolute favorite part is how he weaves the Catholic religion that the Begay's are part of with their traditional beliefs, and how he uses those elements to create a character who is balanced by his spirituality after the war when so many of the veterans turned to alcohol to cope with what they had witnessed.  
     The novel's setting begins on the Dinetah Reservation and continues on to many places throughout the world; it closes with his returning to the reservation after  Begay's time in the Marines comes to an end.  In the beginning, we are taken to Ned's childhood, learning how he first learned English--made to forget his Navajo ancestry.  His hair was cut short, he was made to wear White clothing, and was forced to speak only English or be beaten.  We see him transform into a model student, becoming "almost as bright as a little White child," and we see his dreams of traveling the world (29).  He does have the opportunity to travel the world after a Marine shows upon the reservation to announce the need for Navajo recruits who will complete a very special mission.  At first, Bengay is not allowed to know that mission, but eventually it takes him all over the world, the world he has dreamed about during history and geography lessons, even when he is told he is too stupid to go because he is a Navajo.  
       Culture abounds in Code Talkers. The whole novel is based on the sacredness of the Navajo language.  When the Whites tried to wipe it out at boarding school, the children secretly spoke it to each other when they were alone.  Through the efforts of a few brave souls, the language was retained during those boarding school years, and it has become evident in modern history that the Allies' victories during WWII were dependent on the secret codes and messages that became lifelines during the war...codes created by the Navajo Code Talkers using this sacred language.  Throughout the book, we see words translated, songs sung, ceremonial prayers, dances, etc... using the language.  Bruchac spent much time getting this just right, authenticating the language and the culture.  We get a brief glimpse into the religion itself through the protection blessing and the balancing ceremony.  We see the strong ties of family and the reverence for the elders and nature.  I have never read a book that so genuinely details these elements of any Native American culture, and I have read many books related to America's aboriginal nations.  
       In my opinion, this book is probably the best historical fiction book I have ever read related to our Native cultures.  It is full of accurate historical details, balanced good and bad from both the White culture and natives, in-depth knowledge of World War II and its progress, and the Navajo Nation itself.  In some places, it is heavy and burdened with so many details that I wanted to put it down and come back to it after I had time to process what I had read.  It is a book that needs to be read with plenty of time to comprehend what is happening and let it sink in.  It is one that is more apt to be understood by more advanced students with an appreciation of the war.  Younger children who do not have the historical background to comprehend this war will quickly lose interest, but for those who have tried hard to right the wrongs committed on the American Tribal Nations, Bruchac masterfully binds together the love of the Navajos for their land and their love of America, including the Navajo Tribal Council Resolution of War in 1940: "...Now therefore, we resolve that the Navajo Indians stand ready as they did in 1918, to aid and defend our government, and its institutions against all subversion and armed conflict and pledge loyalty to the system which recognizes minority rights and a way of life that has placed us among the greatest people of our race" (35).  

AWARDS  

• Sequoyah Book Award (Nominated for an award in 2007) 
• Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (Nominated for an award in 2008) 
• West Virginia Children's Book Award (Nominated for an award in 2007) 
  Iowa Teen Award (Nominated for an award in 2007) 
• Grand Canyon Reader Award (Nominated for an award in 2007) 
• Virginia Reader's Choice Awards (Nominated for an award in 2007) 

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Booklist, "...Rooted in his Navajo consciousness and traditions even in dealing with fear, loneliness, and the horrors of the battlefield, Ned tells of his experiences in Hawaii, Guadalcanal, Bougainville, Guam, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. The book, addressed to Ned's grandchildren, ends with an author's note about the code talkers as well as lengthy acknowledgments and a bibliography. The narrative pulls no punches about war's brutality and never adopts an avuncular tone..." (C) February 15, 2005.
• Voice of Youth Advocates, "...When the United States enters World War II, sixteen-year-old Ned lies about his age and enlists in the Marines. Because he still remembers his own language despite his re-education efforts at the hands of whites, Ned is selected to become one of the Navajo Marines who use a complex native language to create an unbreakable code for wartime communication. Together with others of his people, the young Marine is sent into the bloody Pacific Theater, seeing action at Guam, Iwo Jima, Suribachi, and Okinawa. Bruchac's fictional Ned Begay represents all the Navajo Marines who, despite their treatment by white America, fought valiantly in foreign wars..." (C) April 1, 2005
• School Library Journal, "In the measured tones of a Native American storyteller, Bruchac assumes the persona of a Navajo grandfather telling his grandchildren about his World War II experiences. Protagonist Ned Begay starts with his early schooling at an Anglo boarding school, where the Navajo language is forbidden, and continues through his Marine career as a "code talker," explaining his long silence until "de-classified" in 1969. Begay's lifelong journey honors the Navajos and other Native Americans in the military, and fosters respect for their culture. Bruchac's gentle prose presents a clear historical picture of young men in wartime, island hopping across the Pacific, waging war in the hells of Guadalcanal, Bougainville, and Iwo Jima. Nonsensational and accurate, Bruchac's tale is quietly inspiring..."(C) May. 1, 2005.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to Native-American Indians/Navajos, storytelling, World War II, Code Talkers,  treaties, Native-American religion, Marines/Military, and Japan/Axis power.

https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plans/teaching-content/code-talker-discussion-guide/
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=1462
https://www.varsitytutors.com/englishteacher/code-talker
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/00-2/lp2213.shtml

Other Joseph Bruchac titles to read:

• Eagle Song  ISBN 1632451034
• Long River  ISBN 1555912133
• The Arrow Over the Door  ISBN 0756910471

Gather more Native-American titles:

·       Gammell, Stephen. Dancing Tee Pees: Poems of American Indian Youth  ISBN 0823408795

·       Stevens, Marcus. Useful Girl  ISBN 1565123662
·       Sweeney, Joyce.  Waiting for June  ISBN 0761453296 

Book Review for HOW I BECAME A GHOST: A CHOCTAW TRAIL OF TEARS STORY

Book Review by Allie Davis
MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tingle, Tim. 2013. how i became a ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story. USA: The Roadrunner Press. ISBN 9781937054533

Book Trailer:  
https://youtu.be/H5EUFSFG28s

Connect with the Author 
http://www.timtingle.com//

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      The opening paragraph of Tim Tingle's How I Became A Ghost Trilogy begins with the lines, "MAYBE YOU HAVE never read a book written by a ghost before. I am a ghost.  I am not a ghost when this book begins, so you have to pay very close attention." This attention-grabbing exposition by the main character, Isaac, lends itself to the reader becoming actively involved in the remainder of the story.  Isaac characterizes himself in the first chapter, and the reader learns about him and his family, his home, and the Choctaw Nation of the 1830s. If a reader is unfamiliar with the 5 Civilized tribes who were forced off their homelands because of the Indian Removal Act, he/she may be surprised to learn that these Natives did not live in tee pees or primarily hunt for a living.  They may be surprised that they lived in wooden houses in towns or that they were farmers, already settled into educated societies whose members had participated in The War of 1812.  Tingle does a fine job of describing the Nation in terms of intellect, economics, and history.  He writes of the treaties that were made between the elders of the Choctaw Tribe and the American Government, as well as, their lack of understanding of the consequences of them.  However, in terms of perspective, only the views of the Isaac and the Choctaw nation are presented.  The one-sidedness in relation to the terms of the treaties are quickly identified when the rising actions entail the burning of the Choctaw homes and the forced evacuation of the people.  It is during this time that we learn that Isaac is a "seer."  He sees the future and ghosts.  He knows who will die and who will live.  We also meet talking dogs and shape-shifting humans.  We see a deep regard for nature in all aspects of the story, including one of my favorite parts of the story.  Isaac says, "I learned something about houses that night.  This will sound strange.  On the night I almost became a ghost, I learned something about houses.  Houses are alive.  Every house shook before it fell, every house shook.  Every house shouted, too.  As loud as the thunder, every house shouted.  One by one, every house shouted and fell" (17).  Tingle's haunting words here are the first echoes of the Native spirituality we see presented further into the novel.  
     The novel's setting begins in Mississippi, the original homelands of the Choctaw Nation.  Isaac is happy and carefree at his family's plot of land that they farm.  He has no worries except what he is going to have for supper that night.  He hunts and fishes.  He plays with his dog, Jumper, who can also speak Choctaw.  And life is good... at least until one evening when his father comes home and tells his mother that they must leave.  This foreshadows what will happen as the novel progresses.  It is this same evening that Isaac learns he has the power to see the future deaths that will occur.  When the elders of the tribe are saying their goodbyes to their homelands, Isaac sees how many of the Choctaw elders will die.  Smallpox. Fire.  Cold.  His prophecies help set the stage for the events that occur as the story unfolds.   
       There are numerous cultural values that are touched on in this quick-read.  The first one that is most obvious is the love of the Choctaw language.  The reader is introduced to many Choctaw words during the story such as hoke (okay), Nahullo (White men), and Chi pisa lachike (I will see you again.)  Each word is presented in context to define the word as relevant to the plot. Once the words are introduced, they are used over and over again, helping the reader to remember the words.  I really like this idea, but I also wish that there had been a glossary of terms and pronunciations at the back of the book for students to refer to, if needed.  The closeness of family is deeply rooted in this novel.  Isaac's family, and then the family they travel with Nita's family) are very close.  They work together, eat together, sing and tell stories together, worship together, and even grieve together.  After Isaac dies, and he continues to tell his story, he describes how even the ghosts stay with their families forever.  This helps pave the way to the aspects of the native spirituality that are presented in the book.  Besides the mention of the Choctaw Church and songs like Amazing Grace and other Christian values, traditional aspects of their earlier religion are portrayed also.  We see the Choctaws staying close to the swamp to get away from the Nahullo because of their fear of the land.  The elders are respected and well-cared for, even while on the awful journey.  Then, there are the bone pickers, a Choctaw version of morticians, but in a religious aspect.  Finally we see the elements of nature-worship: people that can shift their human form into an animal, animals that can talk, and elements of nature that have "souls" and "feelings."  The wonderful thing about this part of the book is that it is never heavy or forced.  Told in the oral storytelling tradition, they seem natural and unobtrusive.  The reader is "learning" about a culture, not being forced to accept it as truth.
       In my opinion, the overall presentation of this Choctaw Trail of Tears story is done accurately from a historical perspective.  Tim Tingle spent months researching the Choctaw Trails, even following the path back to Mississippi from Oklahoma, his current home.  His book , Walking the Choctaw Road, comes from that research.  In historical fiction fashion, real-life Choctaw characters like General Pushmataha take part in the story.  Pushmataha fought right beside Americans at the Battle of New Orleans, and in the story, his ghost says, "Always remember, we Choctaws are a strong people, a good people.  We fight to protect two nations, the United States of America and the Choctaw Nation" (139).  This line touched me emotionally because it lends credence that humans may have more than one allegiance without being disloyal to the others, still united.  In the end, even though Isaac dies, he has come full-circle into a "man" of the tribe.  Some of his final words are advice to the living.  His words are still powerful and meaningful to anyone of the tribe today.  He says, "When the sun sets on this day, we want everyone to be safe.  If they scatter Nita's bones, we will gather them.  If they burn her bones, we will gather the ashes.  We are Choctaws.  We are stronger than the soldiers" (124).  And nearly 200 years later, the Choctaws are still proving that his words are true.  

AWARDS  

• Sequoyah Book Award; Nominated for Award in 2016 
• American Indian  Youth Literature Award; Winner in 2014
• 2014 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
• Kirkus Reviews: The Best Books of 2013

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Horn Book Guide, "Isaac is alive and well at the start of this Trail of Tears story, beginning in the Choctaw Nation in Mississippi in 1830.  But soon there is Treaty Talk, followed by the arrival of Nahullo (white) men, and the Choctaw must begin their journey west.  Tingle, a Choctaw storyteller, relates his tale in the engaging repetitions and rhythms of an oft-told story." (C) April 7, 2014.
• Horn Book Magazine, "Maybe you have never read a book written by a ghost before...The novel comes alive in Isaac's voice and in rich alliance of the living and the dead--Choctaw ghost walkers, a shape-shifting panther boy, elderly bone pickers, a five-year-old ghost girl, a tough teenage girl, and the legions of Choctaw enduring their trek." (C) January 8, 2014
• School Library Journal, "The ghost is Isaac, a Choctaw boy who dies on the Trail of Tears, yet continues to interact with Joseph, another Choctaw boy who is a shape-shifter.  Tingle's historical novel normalizes Choctaw spirituality, presenting it as part of the fabric of life of those who lived, died, and were killed on the Trail of Tears of the 1830s."(C) Nov. 1, 2013.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to Native-American Indians/Choctaw, storytelling, Trail of Tears, genocide,  treaties, Native-American religion, ghost stories, and death.

https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?aid=1498&a=1&a2=1
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/how-i-became-a-ghost-by-tim-tingle/

• Investigate smallpox.
• Create a map of the Trail of Tears routes.
• Write a spin-off story based on how Joseph discovers he can shape-shift into a panther.

Other Tim Tingle titles to read:

• Maple Leaf  ISBN 1463421184
• Walking the Choctaw Road  ISBN 0938317822
• Inca Land   ISBN 1491830034

Gather more Native-American titles:

·       Feder, Harriet K. Death on Sacred Ground  ISBN 0822507412

·       Ochoa, Annette, et. al. Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming  ISBN 0763615188
·       Olsen, Sylvia.  The Girl with a Baby  ISBN 0763615188 

Book Review for THE LIGHTNING DREAMER: CUBA's GREATEST ABOLITIONIST by Margarita Engle

Book Review by Allie Davis

MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Engle, Margarita. 2013. The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780544541122

Connect with the Author 
http://www.margaritaengle.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Backing her novel with historical notes, brief biographies of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellandeda and her mentor Jose Maria Heredia, and excerpts from de Avellandeda's prose and poetry, Margarita Engle's haunting and beautiful historical fiction novel The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist begins with the coming of age of a young Cuban girl who is about to be forced into an arranged, loveless marriage by her mother and grandfather. From birth, Tula (her nickname) has been a high-spirited, curious girl who only wants to be free to write and read, both of which are forbidden by her mother and her culture.  She continues to defy these forbidden boundaries and finds other ways to read, borrowing her brother's books, reading with the nuns and writing, then burning, the verses, stories, and plays that fill her mind. Her views are evident early on with lines such as "In my plays, all are equal./ Each orphan receives/ a speaking role,/ because every child/ has a voice that must be heard, even if adults only listen/ while children are perched/ on a stiff wooden stage,/ chirping like new-hatched birds/ that have not yet learned/ how to sing" (56).  We spend three years with Tula, witnessing her refuse to marry not only one, but two men who have been chosen for her, watching her grow from a defiant girl into a strong, independent woman who eventually leaves her family's country estate and supports herself in the city as a tutor.  Our hearts are broken when she questions her grandfather's fidelity when she wonders "When my grandfather was young/ and strong, did he rule/ like a brutal king?/ Are any of the slaves/ in the sugar fields/ my relatives?" (123). These early experiences influence her throughout her life, and the historical notes indicate that the grown de Avellandeda's conviction was that "all should be equally proud of every ethnic component of a shared society," an "idea so original and courageous that it helped readers question the way they viewed slavery, interracial marriage, and the broader issue of voluntary marriage.  By telling a simple love story, Avellandeda conveyed her dream of universal dignity, freedom, and equal rights for men and women of all races" (171). 
       The setting of The Lightning Dreamer is during the 19th Century, beginning in 1827 when Tula is 13 years old, which at the time, is marrying age in Cuba.  She first questions why she cannot choose her own husband when her mother has defied her grandfather two times to marry the man that she loved.  She then questions why women were sold into these loveless relationships to only bring more money to their families, comparing them to cattle.  Not only does Tula defy the ideas and cultural values of traditional Cuban marriage, she also questions the entire treatment of women, making this novel both abolitionist and feminist in nature.  We see many of these same ideas and opinions occurring worldwide at the time, including American and Great Britain, where women writers and feminists were struggling to get their voices heard also.  
       Although the setting of the novel is in Cuba during the 19th Century, few elements are present in the text of the novel itself to teach the reader about Cuban culture.  In fact, the setting could have taken place anywhere that slavery was occurring.  There is a mention of Tula's grandfather's sugar plantations, but these plantations could have been anywhere.  There is mention of Caridad, Tula's Cuban slave, who has been freed, but there were slaves in many places during this time.  The plot of the story is told through narrative verse poetry in plain English.  Very few interlingual words are included; only two come to my mind - Mama' and Abuelito.  There are also a few other names that point to Latino heritage, as well, such as Manuel and Rosa.  At the end of the novel, in Part Five: The Hotel of Peace 1836, we learn that Tula has left her grandfather's plantation and has traveled to Havana, and then we learn that she has traveled on to France in exile.  It is during this time of her life that we see how she has matured and her views of marriage have changed slightly.  She accepts love as an ancient legend, and we even learn that she has married twice before her death. 
        Ultimately, the universal themes of abolition and feminism could easily have carried across humanity, not just Cuba. Gertrudis Gomez de Avellandeda was truly passionate about her writing, and in a time period where women had few, if any rights, she becomes one of the most powerful and influential writers of the age.  
       . 

AWARDS  

• Pura Belpre Honor Book; Nominated for Award in 2014 
• ALA's Notable Books For Children; Won Award in 2014
• 2014 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
• School Library Journal’s Top Ten Latino-themed Books for 2013
• Teaching for Change 2013 Favorite
• Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature selection as a Best Multicultural Book of 2013
• International Reading Association Top Chapter Book for 2013

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• Horn Book Magazine, "...Loosely based on the early life of the Cuban novelist and human rights advocate Gertrudis Gomez de Avllaneda (1814-73), this novel in verse follows Tula for the three years that take her into open rebellion and its first consequences; there's also a glimpse of her living independently, as a poet, seven years later.  Tula's desperate need to write and her struggle for self-determination resemble that of Pablo Neruda in Pam Munoz Ryan's splendid The Dreamer..." (C) May 7, 2013.
• Voice of Youth Advocates, "...From a young age, Tula is a feminist and abolitionist plagued with thoughts of being married off in exchange for slaves. Her brother secretly passed on his books, paper, and pen, inspired by Tula's independence. Throughout the book, Tula evolved from a girl who sees 'forced marriage' and a 'loveless wedding' in her future to a young woman who sees love as 'Ancient. A legend. The truth.' This is a unique piece of literature-historical fiction about a historical figure written in verse through imagined perspectives. Complete with  historical background, notes, and references, The Lightning Dreamer is a quick and powerful read worthy of addition to any collection. The verses speak of tolerance and acceptance beyond the context of this story.  At its core, though, it is a story about the nineteenth-century, Cuban culture, folk heroes, and women's rights."   (C) April 1, 2013
• Booklist, "Engle's historical novel in verse is a fictionalized biography of the nineteenth-century Cuban abolitionist poet Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda, known as Tula. Told in multiple voices, Engle's elegant verses, rich in simile and metaphor, focus on the poet's life as a teenager. Forbidden access to books because her mother believes reading and writing make women unattractive, Tula escapes to a nearby convent. There, she discovers volumes by the rebel poet Jose Maria de Heredia, whose words feed her own rebellious spirit, which is exemplified by her rejection of two arranged marriages. I long to write like Heredia, she muses, but what do I know of great cities and the wide lives of men? I'm just a silenced girl. My stories are simple tales of emotion. Seen as an outcast and a madwoman, she is sent to the country, where she falls in love with Sab, a freed slave, and continues to write about equality for slaves and for women. Engle's richly evocative verses conjure up a time when women, like slaves, were regarded as property to be sold into loveless marriages. This is the context for a splendid novel that celebrates one brave woman who rejected a constrained existence with enduring words that continue to sing of freedom." (C) February 15, 2013.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to biographies, narrative verse, Cuba/Caribbean, abolitionists, feminism, slavery, arranged marriage, women's rights, and activists .

https://teachinglatinamericathroughliterature.wordpress.com/march-2014-the-lightning-dreamer-cubas-greatest-abolitionist/
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=34945
http://www.margaritaengle.com/core/lightning%20dreamer.pdf
http://www.nowaterriver.com/poetry-friday-the-lightning-dreamer-margarita-engle/

• Research the life of Gertrudis Gomez de Avellandeda and write about her life.
• Write a narrative poem about something that has happened or is happening to you.
• Do a compare/contrast project on Cuba's abolitionist movement and America's abolitionist movement.

Other Margarita Engle titles to read:

• Firefly Letters:  A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba; ISBN  0606395857
• Lion Island: Cuba's Warrior of Words; ISBN 0606405240
• The Wild Book; ISBN 1299891942

Gather more feminism titles:

·        Hood, Karen Jean Matsko. Feminist Awakening: A Collection of Poetry  ISBN 159210835

·       Trites, Roberta S. Waking Sleeping Beauty: Feminist Voices in Children's Novels  ISBN 0877455910
·       Yousafzai, Malala and Patricia McCormick.  I am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World.  ISBN: 0316327913

Book Review for MY OWN TRUE NAME: NEW AND SELECTED POEMS FOR YOUNG ADULTS by Pat Mora

Book Review by Allie Davis

MLIS 5653 Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Mora, Pat. 2000. My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults. Houston: Pinata Books. ISBN 9781558852921

Connect with the Author 
http://www.patmora.com/

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
      Pat Mora's poems and prose have long been read and loved, and in this poetical anthology, she has gathered poems that she especially feels will be meaningful to young adult readers. She has an extraordinary gift with words, and many of her poems have received acclaim and awards throughout her writing career.  She has gathered many of these poems together again from other works and included several new poems, as well, in My Own True Name, an anthology of identity. The poetry novel is broken into three separate sections with each section taking on aspects of a cactus, the image on the front cover.  Section One, "Blooms," contains poetry that is inspirational and fun.  The themes in these poems are related to growing and maturing, becoming a better person.  The poems in Section Two, "Thorns," contain topics that are more heartbreaking such as poverty, ostracization, and immigration.  Finally, Section Three, "Roots" envelop the theme of history and heritage of people of the southwest, Indians, Hispanics, etc. The three sections open with a simple painting done in black and white lines by Anthony Accardo. These three art pieces are self-explanatory to the titles.  One is a desert cactus bloom, another is mesquite thorns, and the last one is a mass of tangled roots, woven together, which in my opinion, symbolize the many mixed and entwined bloodlines of the people of the southwest.  
     Mora's poems lack an identified narrator, containing a speaker who touches on many aspects of life.  Since we teach our students in literature classes that the speaker cannot necessarily be identified as the author of the poem, we cannot say that Mora is the specific speaker in these poems, but it is safe to say that she has probably experienced many, if not all, of what she is writing about.  We see authentic poems from a bicultural perspective on topics such as parties, a first love, the beach, and the desert.  All of these poems contain elements of both the Hispanic culture and the American culture.  Some poems contain Spanish words, phrases, and historical elements that are explained in footnotes.  Other poems are told in both English and Spanish versions.  And since they are written by a Latina writer, the poetry itself contains no references to stereo-typical ideals which might be present if told by a writer from outside the Hispanic culture.  The experiences are personal, identifiable and experience-able by a wide array of people, not just ones who share the speaker's voice.  Even though some contain sad topics, the book itself is upbeat and inspirational without bias or prejudice.  It is meant to be pleasurable , historical, and savored by all readers, regardless of their cultural background. 
     The setting of most of these poems can be identified as the American southwest or Mexico.  Most poems allude to some aspect of the southwest such as the desert, cactus plants, red peppers, or other hints of this geography. A few even mention specific places such as "For Georgia O'Keeffe which mentions Texas or "1910" which mentions Juarez and the Rio Grande.  Overall, the extended metaphor of the cactus plant as our existence is easily identifiable throughout the entire work.
       As mentioned previously, many Hispanic cultural values exist within the 62 poems comprised in My Own True Name.  It is rich in both traditional and modern features of the Hispanic culture.  We see traditional folklore such as the legend of the poinsettia, traditional dress such as the black veils and dresses worn by rich women of the west, but we also see elements of modern times such as the pizza poem, "Ode to Pizza," or "Teenagers." There is literally something that everyone of every age can identify with.  The depictions painted in the text of these poems will leave the reader with a deep sense of what it is like to be in the southwest portion of the Americas, whether it is North America or South America.  
     Informal and conversational in structure, even readers who don't really care for the genre of poetry will find these poems easy to understand and interpret.  Because of this reason, I firmly feel like this is an anthology that should be in every school library, if not every high school literature classroom.  

EXCERPT from "The Desert Is My Mother" by Pat Mora in My Own True Name
...
I say heal me.
She gives me chamomile, oregano, peppermint.

I say caress me.
She strokes my skin with her warm breath.

I say make me beautiful.
She offers turquoise for my fingers,
   a pink blossom for my hair.
...

AWARDS  

• The New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age List, 2001
• Tayshas High School Reading List, Texas Library Association, 2001 
• Finalist, Writers’ League of Texas, 2001
• "Teenagers" from My Own True Name was featured on The Writer's Almanac; November 29, 2012. 

• Booklist, "Interlaced with Mexican phrases and cultural symbols, these powerful selections, representing more than 15 tears of work, address bicultural life and the meaning of family.  Mora speaks very much from an adult perspective, but her poems are about universal experiences--the pleasures of eating pizza and mago, and the cultural significance of both; the wrenching experience of witnessing poverty. Mixed in are personal poems that ask the vital question, "Where am I from?" more directly.  Mora answers in poems that reach back through her own experiences with motherhood (specifically mothering teenagers) and across generations to the landscape of her ancestors. The rich, symbolic imagery, raw emotion, and honesty will appeal to mature teens, and young writers will find inspiration..." (C) March 15, 2000.
• Voice of Youth Advocates, "A symbol of survival and a metaphor for life itself, the hardy cactus plant serves as the inspirational touchstone in this acclaimed Mexican American writer's latest anthology of poems.  In three sections, "Blooms," "Thorns," and "Roots," Mora celebrates her rich bilingual heritage, deep love for her desert environment, and passion for language, both English and Spanish..." (C) December 1, 2000.
• School Library Journal, "...She has chosen poems with themes that are accessible to, yet challenging for teens, a few of which appear in both English and Spanish.  Occasional footnotes explain historical references or Spanish phrases. The introduction encourages young writers, as do the poems themselves.  This anthology speaks to a young adult audience, and it should find many readers." (C) July 1, 2000.

CONNECTIONS

Use as an introduction to poetry, teenagers, motherhood, the Southwest, Mexican Culture/heritage, and the desert.

http://www.patmora.com/books/my-own-true-name/
https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=13459
https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/books/my-own-true-name-by-pat-mora/
https://www.learner.org/workshops/hslit/session1/lessonplan1.html

• Divide class into 3 groups and have groups analyze poems in each of the 3 sections to find its "theme."
• Have each student identify with a specific poem and then write their own poem using the same topic as their chosen poem. (The poems in this anthology are all identity poems.) 
• Write a letter to someone in which they write about an emotional event that has happened to them.

Other Pat Mora titles to read:

• Confeti; ISBN  1584302704
• Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!; ISBN 1600602673
• Book Fiesta; ISBN 0061288780

Gather more Latino poetry titles:

·       Carlson, Lori Marie and Oscar Hijuelos. Cool Salsa: Bilingual Poems on Growing Up Latino in the United States.  ISBN 1250016789

·       Engle, Margarita and Rafael Lopez. Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics .  ISBN: 080598763
·       Ada, Alma Flor and F. Isabel Campoy.  Yes! We Are Latinas: Poems and Prose About the Latino Experience.  ASIN: 001CBLR15M