Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir

1. Bibliography

Engle, Margarita. 2015. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 9781481435222

2. Plot Summary

Engle takes us through the journey of her childhood in a series of poems from her parents meeting, to her first time visiting Cuba, to growing up in Los Angeles. While in Los Angeles, she dreams of being in Cuba, surrounded by the tropical nature. When tensions rise between the US and Cuba, she begins to feel torn between the two places and wondering why the two nations have to fight. Engle describes the two sides of her, the two sides that love Cuba and Los Angeles, while those two sides fight one another. 

3. Critical Analysis

Engle utilizes beautiful and flowery language in order to paint the picture of Cuba. Cuba is a "fairy-tale kingdom" with bright, blue skies and "dancing plants" that Engle captures with these sensory words that create a clear and vivid picture of how Cuba looks through her eyes. In Mi Mami Cubana, she repeats the word "homesick" to depict her mother's desire to be back at home on the tropical island. Engle herself feels perplexed when her friend, Pancho, envies her city life when she would much rather ride horses and be on her family's farm. Throughout her childhood, she daydreams about a life on the farm while filling her room with the creatures of nature in Los Angeles. 

As tensions rise between the US and Cuba, Engle utilizes juxtaposition in order to show her image of Cuba as a beautiful island against the fear and anger that inhabits it. In "Wonderstruck," there are "dazzling flowers, cheerful trees, colorful dresses" while there are also "uniforms," "rifles," and "beards" to show the beginnings of the revolution on the island. Strong imagery of the beautiful island of Cuba, the muggy skies of Los Angeles, and the future tension-filled Cuba are used to shape the beautiful and deeply intimate story of Engle's life. 

4. Review Excerpts 

From School Library Journal: "A deeply personal memoir-in-verse filled with Engle's trademark intricately woven lyricism." 

From Kirkus Reviews: "Though it is a very personal story, it is also one that touches on issues affecting so many immigrants." 

5. Connections

Have the students recall a memory of traveling with their family and craft a poem about said memory. 

Enjoy other works by Margarita Engle such as:

• Your Heart, My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger. ISBN 9781534464964
• Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music. ISBN 9780544102293