All Cubans agree on one thing: Jose Marti is the "Father of Cuba." He was and remains Cuba's national hero. Cubans from all walks life simply call him "The Apostle."

Poet, political philosopher, statesman, novelist, journalist, translator, and firebrand revolutionary, Marti was the driving force behind the final Cuban insurrection against Spanish rule in the late nineteenth century.

This young adult biography begins with Marti's origins in the mid-nineteenth century Cuba, which was then among the last of Spain's New World possessions. Next, the narrative traces his one-track mission...