The Surrender Tree

Engle, M. (2008). The Surrender Tree. NY: Holt.

The Surrender Tree is told in short free verse poems. Rosa is a nurse in Cuba who does everything in her power to help people that are being sent to camps as war slaves. Knowing that the camps are too dangerous, Rosa finds a way to help the sick and injured. The author does well in forming imagery for the readers. The brutal, suffering scenes occurring in Cuba in the year 1896 are clearly depicted. The historical fiction genre will appeal to young adult readers with a knack for historical accounts or war history. Rosa’s character is portrayed through the poems as strong and independent. She is a freedom fighter who dares to turn hidden caves into hospitals to help wounded runaway slaves. Throughout the poems, the author is able to convey the hopelessness that fills the time period. The author uses words that let the reader feel the urgency of Rosa’s lifestyle as she lives each day knowing that it could be her last. The author writes, “I am learning how to stay far too busy for worries about dying.” The vivid poems take the reader through the life of a hero on the run and the hardships they endured as they risked their lives for defending the innocent. Readers going through Kohlberg’s theory of post-conventional moral development stage will enjoy reading a book of a heroic woman and find themselves rooting for Rosa for “doing the right thing.”