Penguin Random House: Akwaeke Emezi’s New Book BITTER at Brooklyn Museum

Akwaeke Emezi, author of BITTER (Knopf Books for Young Readers), will be in conversation with Crown Books for Young Readers author Nic Stone during an in-person launch event hosted by Brooklyn Reads at the Brooklyn Museum on Thursday, February 17 at 7:00 pm (ET).

A live stream of the event can also be seen here.

BITTER, the companion novel to Emezi’s PET, a National Book Award finalist, explores both the importance and cost of social revolution while also emphasizing how youth and art can 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. 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?

Featured on the cover of TIME Magazine as a 2021 Next Generation Leader, Akwaeke Emezi is a multidisciplinary Nigerian artist and author based in liminal spaces. They are the author of THE DEATH OF VIVEK OJI, DEAR SENTHURAN, and PET. Emezi was selected as a ‘5 Under 35’ honoree by the National Book Foundation and their debut memoir was recently awarded the 2022 Stonewall Book Award for Nonfiction.