YA short novel about Tacky's Revolt, a slave uprising on the island of Jamaica, against the British plantation owners in the 1760s. A very important book, excellently portrayed through the eyes of 14 yr old sugar cane slave, turned warrior, Moa. It's brutal, it's thought provoking and, with its dialect, not easy to read but I can see it making its way onto school curriculums and as class reads very soon. Probably best read with guidance to help with the language and themes. I don't think 14 yr old me would have picked this up as a casual read but it's an excellent book for study and adult me thought it was outstanding. ( )

Both joyful and heartbreaking, this is a powerful story of childhood lost to war. Worth reading, although not for the faint of heart. The author does a fine job of bringing this world and events to light, and teaching the reader about this part of the world. ( )

De blood remembers. I will also remember this true story of Tacky's War in Jamaica in 1760. The story is told through Moa Umbasa, the youngest cane warrior. He describes his fears, his battles, his emotions, with emotion and without apology. The battles are brutal and graphic, and these warriors fought and faced their own deaths with dignity and pride. As Tacky said, "Better to die for something than dead becah you body mash up in service to de slavemaster." Indeed. An excellent story ( )

This was so easy to read despite the heavy subject matter, and each page is gripping with tension and conflict. I generally shy away from slave narratives, fictional or nonfictional, because I have to be in the right headspace to read about the horrors of enslavement and black people suffering. I’m quite familiar with North-American chattel slavery, but this is my first time learning about some West Indian/Caribbean enslavement. It’s always so interesting how we hear so little about slave rebellions and uprisings.

Anyway, this was a great read! The brotherhood between Keverton and Moa and the loveliness of Hamaya broke my heart.
5/5
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This middle-grade/young adult book is not for the faint of heart. It is bloody, violent and ruthless. In contrast to these brutal events, Wheatle writes lyrically and with nuance. Cane Warriors centers the voice of the enslaved rather than white abolitionists. In this way, readers face the reality of enslaved people who fought for their own freedom.

The narrative of this book is written in standard English and the dialog is written using a Jamaican patois. This may cause some young readers a slow start, but they will acclimate to it. In fact, the dialect helps to immerse the reader. A similar experience can be had with Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston.

The Author’s Note details how the government of the United Kingdom pledged a huge sum to cover reparations for enslavers, however no provisions were made for the people who had been enslaved. While this book lays bare the British Empire’s “brutal and unforgiving” role in the slave trade, the responsibility is borderless. Europe, Africa and America all shoulder responsibility, which underscores a major message of the book; “Nobody free til everybody free” (p. 88 and back jacket).

Wheatle lives in South London. His mother grew up in Richmond, St. Mary, Jamaica, nearby the plantations where the revolt took place. He used the stories of her childhood and what historical accuracies he could, then built a narrative that pays homage to freedom fighters in Jamaica and around the world. As he wrote, he took inspiration from musicians including Bob Marley, Burning Speak, The Twinkle Brothers, Gregory Isaacs and other reggae musicians.

The the full, official review on the Worlds of Words website: https://wowlit.org/blog/2021/01/01/wow-recommends-cane-warriors/