The Poet Slave of Cuba - by Margarita Engle (Paperback)

This is a beautifully crafted biography of Juan Francisco Manzano, a Cuban slave who escaped his owners in 1797 to become a celebrated poet.

The book is written in verse and features powerful, haunting poems and breathtaking illustrations that create a portrait of a life in which even the pain of slavery could not extinguish the capacity for hope.

Readers will be moved by the stories of Manzano's early years by the side of a wealthy slave owner in Cuba, where he showed an exceptional talent for poetry despite being denied an education.

The book won several awards and is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of slavery and the power of poetry to transcend even the most difficult circumstances.