All Cubans agree on one thing: José Martí is the Father of Cuba. He was
and remains Cubas national hero. Cubans from all walks life simply call
him The Apostle.
Poet, political philosopher, statesman, novelist, journalist,
translator, and firebrand revolutionary, Martí was the driving force
behind the final Cuban insurrection against Spanish rule in the late
nineteenth century.
This young adult biography begins with Martí's origins in the
mid-nineteenth century Cuba, which was then among the last of Spain's
New World possessions. Next, the narrative traces his one-track mission
into adulthood as a firebrand, intellectual radical who dies a martyr's
death while fighting in Cuba.
Martí's remarkable talents emerged in his boyhood. A revulsion against
slavery in Cuba and Spains oppressive rule evoked powerful moral
response in him. Havana's revolutionary circles drew him in and turned
him into a radical in his early teens. Unjustly convicted, imprisoned,
and exiled for treason against Spain at 17, he dedicated his life to the
ousting Spanish from in Cuba. As an adult, he lived as an expatriate in
four nations, honing his skills as journalist, poet, political thinker,
and organizer of revolution. More than any other Cuban he motivated the
Cuban émigré population, especially in Florida, to take up arms against
Spain. He conducted much of the war planning, fund raising, and
troop-recruiting in Florida, including cities such as Key West, Tampa,
Jacksonville, and Ocala.
The book relates Martí's personal story--both his strengths and
weaknesses--culminating in a depiction of how at 42 he was killed in
action and became a martyr. His legacy remains powerful. Today, both
Castro's regime and his opponents in exile claim Martí as their own. For
the past 120 years, his standard for leadership has endured. No other
Cuban reaches his stature. No one probably ever will.
