Download The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba fb2

by Margarita Engle

Biographies

Author:

Margarita Engle
ISBN:

0805090827
ISBN13:

978-0805090826
Genre:

Young Adult
Publisher:

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1 edition (March 16, 2010)
Pages:

160 pages
Subcategory:

Biographies
Language:

English
FB2 format

1576 kb
ePUB format

1950 kb
DJVU format

1529 kb
Rating:

4.2
Votes:

391
Formats:

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The Firefly Letters is a story about a little-known early feminist.

The Firefly Letters is a story about a little-known early feminist. 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. A Pura Belpré Honor Book An American Library Association Notable Children's Book A Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year.

The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba. In this quietly powerful new book, 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. The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. The Firefly Letters is a 2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book for Narrative and a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. Read on the Scribd mobile app. Download the free Scribd mobile app to read anytime, anywhere.

A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba. 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. historical note, author’s note) (Historical fiction.

The firefly letters : a suffragette’s journey to Cuba, Margarita Engle. I can from Cuba, better than from any other point on this side of the globe, speak of the New World, because Cuba lies between North and South America. 1st ed. p. cm. ISBN 978-0-805082-6. 2. Young adult poetry, American. FREDERIKA BREMER, in a letter to Carolina Amelia, Queen Dowager of Denmark.

A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba. In this quietly powerful new book, 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. If no book jacket appears in a few seconds, then we don't have an excerpt of this book or your browser is unable to display it). Membership Advantages. Beyond the Book" backstories. Find books by time period, setting & theme.

The Firefly Letters : A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 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. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. I remember a wide river.

Draws on little-known Cuban history to tell a stirring story in poetry

Draws on little-known Cuban history to tell a stirring story in poetry. Based on the diaries and letters of Swedish suffragist Fredrika Bremer, who spent three months in Cuba in 1851, the story focuses on oppressed women, the privileged as well as the enslaved, in three alternating free-verse narratives.

The Firefly Letters book. The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba.

The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 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. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture.

In this quietly powerful new book, 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.

The Firefly Letters is a 2011 Pura Belpre Honor Book for Narrative and a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Zacki

Although it is written in a prose format, this book immediately draws the reader into it's plot. As a matter of fact, the prose format is an advantage because it cuts out all of the unnecessary "fluff" and leaves just the "meat" of the story for the reader to enjoy. After 45 minutes of dedicated reading, I was disappointed to see this book end, and I highly recommend it! Definitely a must-read!

Tat

Got this book for our 9year old daughter, who loved reading it. She enjoyed the colorful picture the author paints of Cuba, while learning about how girls lived during that time period. Engle does a superb job weaving the thoughts and dreams of the three main characters into a thoughtful story of friendship. Would recommend to anyone!

Malalrajas

Arrived in a timely manner and was as described in product description.

Golden Lama

Great product, fast shipper

Rainshaper

In 1851, author and activist Fredrika Bremer spent three months in Cuba, traveling around the island with a young African-born slave who belonged to her hosts and who served as Bremer's translator. Drawing upon the nineteenth century writings and sketches of Fredrika Bremer, an early, important, and still relatively unknown figure in the women's rights movement, Margarita Engle has crafted THE FIREFLY LETTERS, a prose poetry dramatization of Bremer's time on the island.

The story is told in alternating poems by Fredrika, her young translator Cecilia, by Cecilia's husband, and by Elena the fictional daughter of Bremer's hosts, a twelve year-old growing up in wealth and privilege who often seems to have even less freedom than the slaves owned by her father.

It is when Fredrika leaves the confines of her host's home with Cecilia in tow (leaving young Elena stuck at home without companionship), and sets out across the island, that we come to grasp how the lively and rich culture that the slaves have brought with them contrasts so sharply with the strait-jacketed patriarchal society and customs from which Fredrika has escaped and to which Elena is a young, unwilling victim.

THE FIREFLY LETTERS is a sterling example of how less can so often be more. Good prose poetry -- like all good poetry -- relies on strategic employment of the right words to paint pictures. As with so many great poetry novels, there is so much payoff here and relatively few words.

I had not previously heard of Fredrika Bremer. I had no idea that Sweden and Denmark had enacted that legislation so far in advance of the U.S. I had no idea what Cuba was like 160 years ago. And, yet, in learning so much, I was able to read through this latest work by award-winner Margarita Engle in a very short amount of time, and then return to reread and savor a bunch of the poems I'd marked along the way.

I'm not the biggest fan of Women's History Month. (I don't like the idea that one of the twelve months is for women, arguably leaving the other eleven for celebrating the brilliant guys who seem to have always gotten us into these messes.) But, being that it is March, it does make good sense to line up a copy of this book asap.

Delagamand

Before I even get to the book, let me just say, I love this cover. The artist behind it is Ana Juan Firefly Letters is written in free verse. Fredrika Bremer, was an author and she fought for the rights of women. In 1851 Bremer went to Cuba for three months. Engle read, Bremer's letters, diaries, notes and sketeches from that visit, The FireFly Letters is derived from that. ( I got all this lovely information from the historical note in the back of the book)

The Swedish consulate places Fredrika with a rich family in Cuba. The family has slaves. Cecilia, a slave (around 15 yrs old), is Bremer's guide and translator. 12 yr old Elena, is the daughter of the house. The story is told through these three women. Engle has given Cecilia's husband Beni, a few poems of his own. I like them, especially the first one. Though I do think Beni's poem messed with the rhythm of the story a little.

Cecilia

The huts of the freed slaves
make me think of my lost home
I remember a ghostly mist
rising over the river
after a boy drowned
trying to escape
from the slave traders.

The mist was silent
but the water sang softly
telling its own
flowing story

If I had known
that my father would trade me
for a stoloen cow
I would have run away
into the forest
to live in a nest
made of dreams
and green leaves.

Fredrika is against slavery and hates how women are treated in Cuba. Fredrika documented her trip in hopes of making people care about what was going on. With Cecilia as her guide Fredrika see much of Cuba. At night the two save fireflies, from the children who pull of their wings.

Elena watches from her window. Its 1851, and its not proper for a young girl to do, basically anything. Elena can only do as she is told. She longs for a little independence.

Engle's poems are beautiful. The voices of the three women fit together like music. The Firefly Letters was simply a pleasure to read.

Adaly

This book, told in verse style, tells the story of Fredrika Bremer, a women's right pioneer. Fredrika travels to Cuba and realizes that slavery and women being controlled run rampant in Cuba. She begins to write about it and this book is based on her journals and letters. This book is told through Fredrika, her translator (who happens to be a slave) Cecilia, and a fictionalized rich girl whose family Fredrika is staying with named Elena. This book was a quick read. It was interesting to read about an area that I am not familiar with and about a person I did not know anything about. I enjoyed it.

[...]

A luminous novel in verse. Engle evokes so much emotion, flavor, color and sound with so few words. Also a very interesting story and well drawn characters.

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