Book 2— NO MORE GRATING YUKA: Anani is almost 11 in 1489. The women and girls of her Taíno fishing village of Kaleta are responsible for grating the yuka tubers that provide the flour for their casaba bread. It’s hard work, and Anani hates it. When a horrible storm hits, the fishing kanoa (canoe) with her three fathers and two brothers—one is Kayabó, with whom she has a special bond—is missing. Anani fears that, by wishing to avoid grating more yuka, she has brought the storm upon her people.
This is Book Two in Dr. Lynne Guitar’s “Taíno Ni Rahú (Children of the Water) Series.” All 10 books in the series take place just as Christopher Columbus and his Spainsh crew are about to disrupt the Taínos’ lives forever. The books are in both English and Spanish. They include guides to the books’ historical backgrounds; character names and backgrounds; and pronunciation and extended explanations of Taíno words used.
Author autobiography: Dr. Lynne A. Guitar (Ph.D. in Colonial Latin American History and Cultural Anthropology from Vanderbilt University), is an historian, cultural anthropologist, and specialist in the history and culture of the Taíno, the natives of the Greater Antilles. She lived, worked, and researched in the Dominican Republic for nearly 22 years and half a year each in Spain and Puerto Rico. She has been featured in documentaries for the BBC, History Channel, and Discovery Channel, among others, and has published numerous professional articles and book chapters. These are her first works of historical fiction, although the stories have been perking in her head for years. Her Taíno Ni Rahú Series was written for Young Adult Readers—she defines that as readers between the ages of 10 and 110. The Taino Ni Rahu books are beautifully illustrated by Natalie 'Tali' Saxton de Perez
