Cane Warriors
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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Alex Wheatle is the author of several best-selling books including the young adult novel Home Girl, the modern classic Brixton Rock, and the multiaward-winning Crongton series. Wheatle's body of work is a finalist for the 2021 NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature has won numerous awards, including the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize. He lives in South London.
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.--Steve McQueen, Academy Award-winning film director
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.-- "Historical Novels Review"
Tension-filled and heart-stopping, a work of edgy brilliance that brims with existential fervor . . . Excellent.-- "Kaieteur News (Guyana)"
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.--Benjamin Zephaniah, author of Gangsta Rap
