For my final project, I am designing a social studies unit that centers around the book Hurricane Dancers by Margarita Engle, and I thought it would be cool to include a podcast as a way of introducing the story. Hurricane Dancers is a work of historical fiction in the form of poetry that tells the story of a young boy named Quebrado who is traded from pirate ship to pirate ship, finally ending up on the ship of Bernardino de Talavera. Quebrado is very valuable to his captors because he know two languages- his mother’s Taino Indian language, and his father’s Spanish. Quebrado is used as a translator, bridging the gap between “worlds made of words.” But when a hurricane sinks the ship, Quebrado escapes to safety and learns to live on land with native people who treat him well. When his former captors turn up on the island too, Quebrado has the power to decide their fate because of the linguistic knowledge he possesses.

This story highlights a lot of major themes about colonization and resistance, making it a great gateway into historical discussion. Also, the poems are written from several different character’s perspectives, which offers a multi-layered view of the historical situation.

I created this podcast as a way of introducing the book- explaining the basic plot and historical setting, and including snippets from Quebrado’s poems that help to introduce his character and his story. I also included sounds of hurricanes and ocean to help transport listeners into the world of this story!