The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle

The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: July 11, 2018
Format: Book
Favorite Quote(s):

"I can't understand why dark northern soldiers and light ones are separated into different brigades. The dead are all buried together in hasty mass graves, bones touching."

Review:
I'll be arriving in Havana, Cuba tomorrow and wanted to read something about Cuba before arriving. I, sadly, know very little about Cuban history and what I do know was told to me through American history books. In the historical note, Engle quotes William Randolph Hearst to one of his journalists covering the Third War for Independence (known in the US as the Spanish-American War): "You furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war." I'm afraid too much of the history that I have learned is through this lens.

The Surrender Tree is a story written in verse from the perspective of 5 characters (all but one are based on real people). It details the actions of a healer during the three wars for Cuban independence from Spain. For so few words, the story of Rosa was powerful. I was brought to tears twice in the short 2 hours it took the read the book. I recommend this book, not only for the history lesson, but for Rosa and the lessons in humility, kindness, and selflessness she teaches readers.

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: March 10, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Favorite Quote(s):

"Each one of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done."
"The opposite of poverty is not wealth, the opposite of poverty is justice."

Review:
Bryan Stevenson is a human rights hero and more people should know his name.
This book alternates between telling the true story of wrongfully convicted death row inmate Walter McMillian and discussing real-life death row and life imprisonment stories from Mr. Stevenson's years as an attorney at his organization the Equal Justice Initiative. The chapters that Mr. Stevenson wraps around Mr. McMillian's story include those focusing on children being tried and sentenced as adults (despite being as young as 10 years old), women being imprisoned for life for giving birth to still-born babies, and those with intellectual disabilities who were not capable of defending themselves at trial. He writes about his treatment as a black lawyer in the south, the treatment of people who have served their time by society upon release (even when they didn't actually commit a crime), and the trauma and violation inmates are exposed to while in prison (particularly children sent to adult prisons). Please consider reading this book and making a monthly donation to EJI.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Finished Reading: January 9, 2018
Format: Audiobook
Favorite Quote(s):

"The truth casts a shadow over the kitchen - people like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice."

Review:
Phenomenal! Should be assigned to all high school students and I'll recommend it at my high school. This is an important read that will broaden perspectives that sorely need to be broadened (white folks, I'm thinking of you). Starr is funny, relatable, and genuine. I'm especially a fan of her regular Harry Potter references. This is the first book of the 36 I'm going to read this year. I'm glad I chose such a powerful story to start with. I will reread for years.