Akwaeke Emezi

From National Book Award finalist Akwaeke Emezi comes a companion novel to the critically acclaimed PET that explores both the importance and cost of social revolution--and how youth lead the way. After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the city of Lucille. Bitter's instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus . . . but her friends aren't willing to settle for a world that's so far away from what they deserve. Pulled between old friendships, her artistic passion, and a new romance, Bitter isn't sure where she belongs--in the studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost? This timely and riveting novel--a companion to the National Book Award finalist Pet--explores the power of youth, protest, and art.

Bitter

Lindsay

Is like we get a life jacket and then you still know there’s people out there drowning and you just sitting on a boat watching them drown and you remember what the drowning was like but you cyah bring yourself to go back.” She shook her head. “It doh matter. We cyah make all of us safe, and unless all of us are safe, none of us are safe.”

She’d never thought of hope like that— as something serious and deliberate instead of something wishful and desperate.

Sometimes she wondered how he found the courage to flash emotions as if no one could hurt him with them.

Sabrina D. 

“And hope is not a waste of time. Hope is a discipline." Aloe said the words with such complete confidence, with such a backbone of faith, that this time Bitter let them seep into her, just enough to register. She knew about discipline from her work; she knew about rigor and how you had to practice and practice and practice until you carried it with you in your bones. She’d never thought of hope like that—as something serious and deliberate instead of something wishful and desperate. 

Only Blessing and now Aloe knew the truth about how Bitter did want a better world, but also about how hope had been beaten out of her, how it was safer to curl up in the pessimistic dark because then none of the horrific things would hurt as much because you’d made part of yourself dead to them, dead to anything else. 

Bitter quotes

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