Bright Red Fruit
$22.99
| Title | Range | Discount |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Discount | 5 + | 25% |
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Description
An unflinching, honest novel in verse about a teenager’s journey into the slam poetry scene and the dangerous new relationship that could threaten all her dreams. From the award-winning poet and author of HOME IS NOT A COUNTRY.
Bad girl. No matter how hard Samira tries, she can’t shake her reputation. She’s never gotten the benefit of the doubt—not from her mother or the aunties who watch her like a hawk.
Samira is determined to have a perfect summer filled with fun parties, exploring DC, and growing as a poet—until a scandalous rumor has her grounded and unable to leave her house. When Samira turns to a poetry forum for solace, she catches the eye of an older, charismatic poet named Horus. For the first time, Samira feels wanted. But soon she’s keeping a bigger secret than ever before—one that that could prove her reputation and jeopardize her place in her community.
In this gripping coming-of-age novel from the critically acclaimed author Safia Elhillo, a young woman searches to find the balance between honoring her family, her artistry, and her authentic self.★ ”A stunning work that deeply explores poetry, the complexities of identity, and the longing for love.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ ”A mesmerizing verse novel and a gripping exploration of the hyper-policing of Black girls’ bodies and sexuality.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ ”Elhillo has created more than a cautionary tale. Much like the tale of Persephone’s abduction, she has crafted a story that contains misery, but at its very core, harbors hope.” —Booklist, starred review
“Elhillo creates a realistic picture of a teenage girl trying to push against unfair perceptions. Readers will appreciate the believable portrayal of a teen who is dealing with complex issues of family, friendship, and romantic love.” —The Horn Book
“An achingly gorgeous novel in verse that explodes with emotion and heart.”—Kim Johnson, bestselling author of This is My America and Invisible Son.
“Crackles with energy…In a word, gorgeous.”—Samira Ahmed, New York Times bestselling author of Internment and Hollow Fires.
Safia Elhillo is an award-winning poet and author. Her debut YA novel in verse, Home Is Not a Country, was longlisted for the National Book Award and received a Coretta Scott King Author Honor and an Arab American Book Award. Sudanese by way of Washington, DC, Safia is a Pushcart Prize nominee, co-winner of the 2015 Brunel International African Poetry Prize, and listed in Forbes Africa’s 2018 “30 Under 30.” She lives in Los Angeles.1
In the tale of Persephone
which should be read
as an argument between the mother and the lover—
the daughter is just meat.
—Louise Glück, “Persephone the Wanderer”
why did i do it?
why did i lie?
everyone wants me to blame religion, my mother, the country in flames behind us, but i was not an unhappy child. we danced and colored and folded little paper boats to float in the bathtub. we tried our best and locked the doors and installed sensors in the windows. if i am to blame, it is only because i was forever curious, forever climbing onto the sill to peer out the locked window at the lives continuing outside. i was not unhappy, only restless. only hungry to know what we were trying to keep out. it was i who opened the doors, the windows. it was i who let him into the house.
BAD GIRL
all the aunties in the neighborhood love
to remember that i was a sweet kid
laughing & dimpled & affectionate
& these reveries always end with a sigh
as they look at me now, sixteen
& what they call, sorrowfully, boy crazy
but ever since i was small i’ve wanted
to be loved
when it was the aunties i’d reach for
to be embraced, to be kissed, it was fine
but ever since i was small i would lock eyes
with boys on passing buses, in passing cars
& wonder if i could make them love me
though all my life, mama has taken great care
to make sure i never find out
MY NAME
it all started when a boy whose name i wish i did not remember
he & his family long since returned to sudan
told a lie that begat another that begat several more
& in the eye of that storm hissed my name
samira
the littlest exaggeration, intended, i’m sure, to be harmless
to get his friends to stop laughing at his inexperience
his chest puffed out, an untruth forming between his teeth
the insistence that he had, that he does. with who? they mocked.
samira
we liked each other, passed notes back & forth
at sunday arabic school, glanced shyly over at each other
at eid gatherings, our hands brushing once at an iftar buffet
but nothing more. we barely spoke. never touched. but still
samira
& now he’s long gone, years since the story took root
& poisoned my name, so long ago that people barely remember
the lie itself, the story, only the feeling they get when they look
at me, the disgust, the reproach, embarrassment on behalf
of my mother, & also something darker, something gleeful
& carnivorous, sinking into my name, my reputation
& drawing blood, teeth wet & red & shining
samiraUS
Additional information
| Weight | 16.7008 oz |
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| Dimensions | 1.1800 × 5.6000 × 8.5000 in |
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| Subjects | dating books, ya novels, novels in verse for teens, verse novels for teens, books for 12 year old boys, verse novels, realistic fiction books for kids 12-15, books for 14 year old girls, teen fiction books, teen books for girls, books for 13 year old girls, books for 12 year old girls, good books for teens, young adult novels, fiction books, family, YAF044000, young adult books, teen books, books for teen girls, young adult fiction, ya books, teen girl books, YAF018000, realistic fiction, coming of age, dating, love, romance |
