Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi
Another thought provoking review by Books & Co regular, Dani Gram. Thank you!
‘I want to start by mentioning a trigger warning. This book has graphic depictions of police brutality and detailed anxiety. It also has scenes which could trigger survivors of self harm.
Bitter goes to Eucalyptus, a school for the gifted whether it be in music, science or art like Bitter. Eucalyptus is the first place Bitter has ever felt safe after being tossed through the foster care system until Miss Virtue picked her up and brought her to Eucalyptus. She has found a home in Eucalyptus, something she clings to for dear life, scared of the outside world, which is riddled with discrimination and corruption. So much so that people who’ve had enough have started a revolutionary group called Assata, who demonstrate and fight for a better world with more equality.
Little does Bitter know that her world is about to change. She will be forced to decide whether she should stay inside Eucalyptus’ safe and secluded walls or if she should go out into the city and join the fight. And behind it all is a creature of Bitter’s own creation.
This book is an incredible job of showing what Gen Z go through in this world where discrimination’s voice has been allowed to grow. The book takes place in a fictional city but it’s so reminiscent of the big cities of our world. It also makes me think a lot about the Black Lives Matter protests in the last few years along with all the outrage over the “Don’t Say Gay” bill in Florida and what is happening to trans youth in Texas right now.
The book is really good but you have to be in the right headspace to read it. Even so it took me over a month to get through it. I kept having to put it down and really think about what I had just read. Even though I have plenty of praise for this book there was one thing I really didn’t like. That was the phonetic dialog. I believe it was there to show difference in class and upbringing but all it did was pull me out of the story since I had a hard time understanding it. Considering all this I have decided to give this book three out of five stars’.
Happy Reading everyone!