Book Review: HURRICANE DANCERS by Margarita Engle

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Engle, Margarita. 2011. Hurricane Dancers. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN-10: 0805092404.

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Hurricane Dancers by Margarita Engle is the story of a young boy who is called Quebrado by the sailors on the ship where he is a slave.  Quebrado means “the broken one” because he is the “child of two shattered worlds.”  His mother, (now deceased), was a native, and his father, (who abandoned him), was a Spanish sailor. For years, Quebrado has been the slave of the pirate, Bernardino de Talavera, who finds his ability to speak two languages, (his mother’s native Taino, and his father’s Spanish), useful. In this story in verse, Quebrado is rescued from his life of slavery by a hurricane, and saved by a kind native fisherman who was hunting for turtles. He finds a new chance at life on land with the friendly natives, and ultimately, he gets to decide the fate of his captors.

3. CRITICAL ANALISYS

In Hurricane Dancers, Margarita Engle has captured the imagery which is so prevalent in writers of Hispanic literature. She skillfully wove historical details and characters as well as the subject of slavery into this novel in verse. The story, set in Cuba in the early 1500’s, is historical fiction, but while the main character, Quebrado, is fictional, the others are real historical figures. The story is told through the first person narrative of its main characters, and reflects their individual culture and personalities. The setting of the story begins on the pirate ship with Quebrado’s narrative about his beginnings and his current life as the slave and later moves to the island of “cu ba” - “Big Friend,”

There are many cultural markers in this book. The native superstitions of the Taino Indians who originally inhabited Cuba are revealed when Quebrado expressed those beliefs in the spirits of the sky, sea, and land when he referred to the hurricane as “the Woman of the Wind taught all these creatures how to fly.” Another character, Caucubu, expresses the same belief in the spirit world when she tells us that “ancient beings emerged from caves” and “some turned into trees or birds, while others became people.”  Examples of customs of the Taino Indians demonstrated when the fate of the pirate and his hostage are determined through a “trial by sphere game” which was a common practice; and again when one of the chieftains arranges a diplomatic marriage for his daughter. Throughout this story, Quebrado changed his name to signify personal growth and change. He began as Quebrado “broken one”, changed to Hurara “Born of Wind” when he washed ashore during the hurricane to Yacuyo “Far Light” at the end of the book.

Hurricane Dancers reminded me a bit of Treasure Island when I read it. There is a magic & lyrical quality to the words, which makes it easy for the capture a visual image of the hurricane, the shipwreck and the slave boy who gained his freedom through that terrible storm. This story is recommended for children grades six through 10, though I know many 5^th graders who would enjoy it. Boys will love this because it has pirates and horses. There is enough garish detail to hold their interest, while there is also romance to warm the hearts of the young girls.

4. REVIEWS/EXCERPTS

A 2012 Pura Belpré Author Honor Book

BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: Once again, Engle fictionalizes historical fact in a powerful, original story. With the exception of Quebrado, all the characters are based on documented figures (discussed in a lengthy author’s note), whose voices narrate many of the poems. While the shifting perspectives create a somewhat dreamlike, fractured story, Engle distills the emotion in each episode with potent rhythms, sounds, and original, unforgettable imagery. Linked together, the poems capture elemental identity questions and the infinite sorrows of slavery and dislocation, felt even by the pirate’s ship, which “remembers / her true self, / her tree self, / rooted / and growing, / alive, / on shore.”

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL REVIEW: “Unique and inventive, this is highly readable historical fiction that provides plenty of fodder for discussion.

HORN BOOK MAGAZINE: “Like intersecting rip tides, several first-person narratives converge in this verse novel of the sixteenth century.”

5. CONNECTIONS

“Quebrado” means the broken one. Most names have meanings. Have students research their own names to find out the meanings. If they could change their names as Quebrado did, what would they change them to and why?

Other young adult nonfiction books and novels in verse by Margarita Engle:

Engle, Margarita.  The Surrender Tree. ISBN-13: 9780312608712

Engle, Margarita. The Poet Slave of Cuba. ISBN-13: 9780805077063

Engle, Margarita. The Firefly Letters. ISBN-13: 9780805090826

Engle, Margarita. Tropical Secrets. ISBN-13: 9780805089363