As of August 6, BookPage revealed the cover to Margarita Engle’s upcoming Contemporary novel written in verse, titled Your Heart My Sky.
According to the article, the book follows “two teens who fall in love while struggling to survive during one of the darkest periods in Cuban history” during a point often titled “the special period.”
Engle mentioned that she was drawn to writing a novel set during this time because she “returned to Cuba in 1991, after a 31-year absence” and seeing “drastic hunger shocked and saddened” her. Wanting to write about it again after realizing that “most adult readers in the U.S. weren’t interested or didn’t believe,” she hopes younger readers are more “empathetic and compassionate.”
Alongside the cover reveal was also an excerpt. The cover illustrator is Gaby D’Alessandro and designer is Rebecca Syracuse.
The people of Cuba are living in el periodo especial en tiempos de paz—the special period in times of peace. That’s what the government insists that this era must be called, but the reality behind these words is starvation.
Liana is struggling to find enough to eat. Yet hunger has also made her brave: she finds the courage to skip a summer of so-called volunteer farm labor, even though she risks government retribution. Nearby, a quiet, handsome boy named Amado also refuses to comply, so he wanders alone, trying to discover rare sources of food.
A chance encounter with an enigmatic dog brings Liana and Amado together. United in hope and hunger, they soon discover that their feelings for each other run deep. Love can feed their souls and hearts—but is it enough to withstand el periodo especial?
Your Heart, My Sky by Margarita Engle is set to be released on March 23, 2021!
The Booked Shelf 
Wow, that cover art is gorgeous! I don’t know anything about this particular topic which might make it an informative read but I’m also afraid I’d end up confused because of lack of context.
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I’m actually not too familiar with the topic either, but I definitely recommend still checking it out because its ownvoices (from a Cuban-American author) and since its a moment in history not often talked about, I’m sure she’ll give all the necessary context. Thank you for reading!
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