{"product_id":"lion-island-cubas-warrior-of-words-9781481461122","title":"Lion Island: Cuba's Warrior of Words","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn a haunting yet hopeful novel in verse, award-winning author Margarita Engle tells the story of Antonio Chuffat, a young man of African, Chinese, and Cuban descent who became a champion of civil rights.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAsia, Africa, Europe--Antonio Chuffat's ancestors clashed and blended on the beautiful island of Cuba. Yet for most Cubans in the nineteenth century, life is anything but beautiful. The country is fighting for freedom from Spain. Enslaved Africans and nearly-enslaved Chinese indentured servants are forced to work long, backbreaking hours in the fields. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSo Antonio feels lucky to have found a good job as a messenger, where his richly blended cultural background is an asset. Through his work he meets Wing, a young Chinese fruit seller who barely escaped the anti-Asian riots in San Francisco, and his sister Fan, a talented singer. With injustice all around them, the three friends are determined that violence will not be the only way to gain liberty.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMargarita Engle is the Cuban American author of many books including the verse novels \u003ci\u003eRima's Rebellion\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eYour Heart, My Sky\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eWith a Star in My Hand\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eThe Surrender Tree\u003c\/i\u003e, a Newbery Honor winner; and \u003ci\u003eThe Lightning Dreamer\u003c\/i\u003e. Her verse memoirs include \u003ci\u003eSoaring Earth\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eEnchanted Air\u003c\/i\u003e, which received the Pura Belpr? Award, a Walter Dean Myers Award Honor, and was a finalist for the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, among others. Her picture books include \u003ci\u003eDrum Dream Girl\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eDancing Hands\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Flying Girl\u003c\/i\u003e. Visit her at MargaritaEngle.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Atheneum Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50725426594066,"sku":"9781481461122","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_48327c78-d59c-4c0a-a5da-3940f682229f.jpg?v=1737256044","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/lion-island-cubas-warrior-of-words-9781481461122","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}