Cane Warriors

Product Information

He has since been called upon to talk on the subject of the Brixton riots, most prominently in the 2006 BBC programme "Battle for Brixton". His early books are based on experiences from his life living in Brixton as a teenager and his time in social services care. It's possible to learn the basics of using a cane for self-defense by yourself. Here are two books that'll get you started (we recommend you get both, they're worth it): I didn’t have much understanding of this era but I can see why slavery has such a bearing on modern day life. I would recommend this book as the story is thought provoking, but it was difficult to read as it uses such speech that would have been used at the time. Alex Wheatle is a master storyteller. He writes with urgency, passion and the empathy we all need to wrestle with the realities of transatlantic slavery, bringing marginalised narratives straight out of the shadows, right into the frame. Every kid in the country needs to read this book.’ Jeffrey Boakye

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! More recently, Wheatle has moved into writing for a YA audience, with his award-winning Crongton series featuring the admirable Liccle Bit and his network of likeable young friends taking their first steps into challenging adult life, much like Moa.

This is a vital part of British and Jamaican history brought vividly to life. Alex Wheatle has reclaimed our ancestors and given them the voice they were denied-- Catherine Johnson 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 Giving voice to characters seldom heard in British children’s books, this is an important, powerful novel about hope, freedom and brotherhood.' The Observer - Young adult books round up review I have a feeling that this is only the 2nd historical fiction I have ever read...which I am quite ashamed of. BUT, to be honest, I am quite glad that this was my second. Why, I hear you ask? I shall explain.

In Alex Wheatle’s young adult book Cane Warriors we meet fourteen year old Moa who is enslaved on the Frontier sugar cane plantation. He is in the middle of harvest season, he hasn’t seen his mother in over two months because she is serving in the Enslaver’s house and his father also is kept working for long and exhausting hours. With the recent death of a plantation beloved woman Moa starts considering what freedom would feel like. Alex Wheatle did a brilliant job of bringing Jamaica into my bedroom. I felt as if I was with the main character every step of the way. Coffee house Caffè Nero has announced the 16-strong shortlist for the inaugural Nero Book Awards, recognising the outstanding books of the past 12... The work is hard, the slave’s bodies are pushed to the limits and the white owners of the slaves are vile humans who treat the men and women disgracefully. 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.

About Alex Wheatle

My favorite character is Moa, because of his strong belief in the uprising. However, I like all of the characters that took part in the uprising, because they worked together strongly, and they never gave up, even when continuing to fight would have been their death.

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. The new events will be funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of the wider “Our Tower” regeneration plan This was a brilliantly written book; I enjoyed that it was written in dialect. It’s a sad and horrifying story of slavery that needs to be heard by everyone. There were parts where I simply couldn’t stop myself from crying.ARC Angel Stun Cane - Best electric self-defense cane (great for seniors & beginners, no training required) Alex Wheatle writes from a place of honesty and passion with the full knowledge and understanding that change can only happen through words and actions - Steve McQueen, Oscar-winning director of 12 Years a Slave The characters were great! You really sympathise with the main character after what she's been through - growing up on a plantation, working all day and being beaten constantly. It really was an eye-opener, especially since I had never heard ANY of this - I didn't even know this was a thing before reading it! Alex Wheatle writes from a place of honesty and passion with the full knowledge and understanding that change can only happen through words and actions’ Steve McQueen (director 12 Years a Slave)

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”. Metal canes (usually made of airplane-grade aluminum) are tougher than wooden canes. They're unbreakable in all but extreme situations. At the cost of a slightly heavier weight, you're getting a cane that will last you a lifetime. Wed 27 September 7-8pm – Dr Amy Frost, Amanda Egbe and Rob Mitchell: “Historic Buildings & the Slave Trade”– Booking Link Sheyi Cole as Wheatle, in Steve McQueen’s TV film series Small Axe . Photograph: Will Robson-Scott/BBC/McQueen LimitedThis led to a short film about the young Alex being filmed in November 2019. This is due to be aired this year. What a powerful story this was to read. I found Moa’s narration so compelling. Reading a first person account of life in slavery and rebellion really gave me an insight into life on the plantation. I felt that Moa was brave and loyal, despite the fear that he faced, and the murder that he was asked to commit. Obviously the slave masters and overseers were the characters to dislike, and their treatment of the slaves and the description of the whips were awful. The author did raise questionable points such as the killing of the slave masters children. The plot was exciting as I didn’t know whether they would be successful at any point or it would be crushed straight away. What stood out for me was the friendship between Moa and Keverton and how Moa wouldn’t leave him. I found some of the language difficult to understand at first as it was written as the slaves might speak ‘cyant’ for example. I would definitely recommend it to other pupils as I think it gave an insight into how a teenager actually felt in that time period. When I consider iconic world events in the last two hundred years or so, teenage narratives are sparse and few and far between. For example, you must search long and hard for a young adult perspective on the American civil war, the sinking of the Titanic, the Great Depression and the bombing of Hiroshima. Young people's experiences matter