Rima’s Rebellion by Margarita Engle is a book written in verse that covers the women’s suffrage movement in Cuba during the early 1900s. This movement also includes ending the Adultery Law, which allowed men to kill unfaithful wives and daughters, along with their lovers. This sexist law, however, did not apply to men. In fact, it was typical for men to have mistresses. This is extremely harmful to the children, often mixed-race, who were born from these relationships. These children were not able to share their father’s surnames, which eliminated their inheritances and ability to receive any financial or emotional support. These children, along with their mothers, were often ostracized by society and shamed for their existence.
We follow Rima Marin who is one of these children. Her father is a wealthy man who has another daughter of his own through his marriage, whom he spoils and promises a bright future, while Rima’s mother and abuela are part of a feminist group called Las Mamibas that ride horses together and fight for women’s rights. There are many political movements in the book, such as the Women’s Congress that practice what it would be like for women to vote and discuss matters such as the Adultery Law. During this time, the then President, Gerardo Machado, did not believe women should have the right to vote and strongly advocated for the Adultery Law. However, he still participates in performative activism like pretending to support women’s rights to secure his presidency. Thankfully, a feminist, Ofelia, refuses to be silenced on women’s rights as well as the Adultery Law and spearheads a campaign to fight for their justice.
Rima also helps her half-sister through her relationship with a man of whom her father disapproves due to his class. Engle highlights the difficulty Rima experiences in helping her sister as she has the life that Rima deserves. Her father financially and emotionally supports her while he disregards Rima. However, Rima knows that women need to stand together to achieve gender equality.
I absolutely devoured this book. Although short in length, the verses are beautifully written and extremely powerful. I learned so much about Cuban history and Engle did a great job mentioning the involvement of the United States. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in women’s rights, especially in Cuba.
Mariana Felix-Kim (she/her) lives in Washington, D.C. with her lovely cat, Leo. When she is not working in the environmental science field, Mariana is constantly reading. Her favorite genres include non-fiction, thrillers, and contemporary romances. Mariana is half Mexican and half Korean. You can find her on Instagram: @mariana.reads.books
