The Surrender Tree

The Surrender Tree

Engle, M. (2008). The Surrender Tree. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

The Surrender Tree is a heart-wrenching chronology of the struggles of Cuba for independence.  Written in verse, Engle follows several characters throughout their personal struggles and their public involvement in the rebels' quest for freedom from the tyranny of Spain.  In a style that allows the reader to almost physically and emotionally experience what Rosa, Jose, Sylvia, and even their nemesis, Lieutenant Death think and feel, the author details the lives of many non-fictional characters with the exception of two.  Readers can understand Rosa’s (the main character) experiences in life through the vivid descriptions both she and Jose give of their day to day struggles to care for those fighting tyranny. Also included in this creatively educational book are a timeline of Cuba's struggles over the years as well as some historical notes that would provide an excellent springboard for a world history lesson.  As the story concludes, we see Cuba under the control of yet another country’s authority, yet absent the tyranny.  I, like many others who have reviewed the novel, felt a lack of resolution for the characters and very little growth, especially in Lieutenant Death.  I just knew he would see the error of his ways!  Readers at the conventional and post-conventional levels could easily benefit from the novel while both the concrete and abstract thinkers can understand and apply the information discovered in The Surrender Tree.