Cane Warriors
- Subject
- Boys & Men
- Age
- 9-12 years
- Format
- Hardcover
- Pages
- 160
- Publisher
- Black Sheep
- Size
- 13.7 cm × 21.8 cm
- ISBN
- 9781617759062
Winner of a 2021 Young Quills Award for Best Historical Fiction
“Wheatle brings the struggle of slavery in the Jamaican sugar cane fields to life . . . A refreshing and heartbreaking story that depicts both a real-life uprising against oppression and the innate desire to be free. Highly recommended.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review
NOBODY FREE TILL EVERYBODY FREE.
Moa is fourteen. The only life he has ever known is toiling on the Frontier sugarcane plantation for endless hot days, fearing the vicious whips of the overseers. Then one night he learns of an uprising, led by the charismatic Tacky. Moa is to be a cane warrior, and fight for the freedom of all the enslaved people in the nearby plantations. But before they can escape, Moa and his friend Keverton must face their first great task: to kill their overseer, Misser Donaldson. Time is ticking as the day of the uprising approaches . . .
Irresistible, gripping, and unforgettable, Cane Warriors follows the true story of Tacky’s War in Jamaica, 1760.
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What reviewers said
Alex Wheatle departs from his award-winning contemporary novels for a superb foray into historical fiction . . . Wheatle’s characteristic kennings and coinages . . . heighten this intense, affecting story of courage, bloodshed and commitment to freedom at all costs.
Alex Wheatle writes from a place of honesty and passion, with the full knowledge and understanding that change can only happen through words and actions.
This is a harrowing young adult novel; still, it is based on true history, and the story needs to be told. The brave freedom fighters of Tacky’s Rebellion should be remembered and honored . . . Recommended.
Tension-filled and heart-stopping, a work of edgy brilliance that brims with existential fervor . . . Excellent.
The importance of this book cannot be overstated. Alex Wheatle takes the truth and creates fiction to illuminate that truth. He too is a warrior—a word warrior. I saw my ancestors in this book, and now I know that Alex and I really are brothers.
