Cane Warriors

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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 Warriorscenters 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.’ World of Words Recommends It slowly dawned on me that I could not spot any teenage rebels joining Spartacus’ revolution. Surely it would have been historically accurate to portray them playing a part. The villages that they freed had to consist of teenagers as well as grown men ready to make war against their former masters.

In 2008, Wheatle was awarded the MBE for services to literature in the Queen's Birthday Honours list. A self-defense cane will have notched gripping surfaces on the shaft (top and bottom). They're there to help you hold the cane during a fight.The main genres displayed in this informative narrative are adventure, history and it is a true account of unmentionable events that occurred. I would recommend this book as a great read for ages between 12 and 15 year olds who are interested in history and adventures. Moa gets his mother’s blessing as she wants at least one of her children to be free from slavery, but he doesn’t secure his father’s support, as he stoically believes “It’s better if you stay here and live”. I enjoyed how Cane Warriors uses a lot of patois in the book to remain authentic to the voice of Jamaican enslaved people and thought this was very effective. Final note - metal canes are better for bigger people. a wooden cane might bend under you if you're on the heavy side.

Further, in addition to Sammy Franco's "Cane Fighting" and Octavio Ramos' "Raising Cane" books that you mention - both of which I own and keep with me on my Kindle tablet - a very good printed book that I also own and enjoy is Ted Gordon's "Cane Jitsu Defense". The explanations and illustrations are easy to follow and the techniques taught can be quite effective, even for those with physical impairments and disabilities. ARC Angel Stun Cane - Best electric self-defense cane (great for seniors & beginners, no training required)

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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 His mother, a cook in the main house, lives in terror of abuse from the lady of the house, for the tiniest of errors. His father suffered a life-changing work accident, but still has to labour in the same place, where his blood still stains the machinery that he uses every day. Shortlisted for the UKLA Book Award 2022 ages 11-14 | Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize 2021 | Shortlisted for the Iris Award | Longlisted for the YA Jhalak Prize | Longlisted for the YA Diverse Book Award | Shortlisted for the Yoto Carnegie Medal 2022

The events here are harrowing, disturbing, moving, tragic, but such a powerful subject matter is handled adeptly and sensitively. I believed in their fight, I stood with them, I wanted to fight alongside these brave Freedom Fighters. I felt their pain, their fear. I felt angry with them, and for them!This is a brutal, bloody, terrifying story, compellingly written and heartstopping to read. Moa’s life before the rebellion makes the violence of the uprising feel like a release in the novel. Cane Warriorsisa book about doing the right thing, unbelievable bravery and deep friendship; but most importantly this book is about a part of British and Jamaican history that is hardly known, and the stories of these hard-won human rights need to be heard even though it’s uncomfortable. This book is thought provoking and I felt a connection with Moa, because at 14 he is a boy of a similar age to me. Moa was interesting as he hovered between childhood and adulthood whilst striving to be an adult and take on adult responsibilities. Yet, he was still offered the protection of childhood for instance when he didn’t have to “commit suicide” with his friend Keveton. Q: Moa survives hardship of every kind – violence, hunger, deprivation and trauma. How do you get under the skin of a character facing the extremes of life? A: When I attended school, I recall learning about the battle of Hastings, King Harold and how he lost his eye, the Spanish Armada, Henry the eighth and his six wives and other canonical topics of British history. There was an absence of any narrative from the Caribbean that related the existence of my ancestors or their lived experience. I had watched Roots when it was first broadcast on British television in the mid 1970s, and it affected me deeply. It was only when I moved to Brixton as a teenager that I first learned about Caribbean slave revolts. Reggae music was a gateway for me. I would listen to Bob Marley’s Slave Driver on a cassette tape in the late 1970s and Dennis Brown recorded his own version in the early 1980s. I guess writing Cane Warriors, I simply wanted to write a tale that brought me the excitement and sense of discovery when I found Bob Marley, Dennis Brown and so many other reggae artists.