Sun Keep Rising
-
- £5.49
Publisher Description
When rent increases put a teen mom at risk of losing her home, she resorts to a dangerous game to keep her family afloat. But all games have consequences, and this isn't one she can afford to lose. A gripping story about race, income instability, and the strength it takes to survive from a critically acclaimed author.
"Kristen R. Lee is a miraculous story weaver"-Mahogany L. Browne, author of Vinyl Moon
B’onca always knew how to get by. And then her daughter is born. She wouldn’t trade Mia for anything, but there is never enough cash to go around. When their gentrifying Memphis neighborhood results in higher prices and then an eviction notice, B’onca’s already fragile world spirals. Desperate to make things right, B’onca forges a risky plan to help pay the bills. But one wrong move could cost B’onca—and her family—everything.
From the celebrated author of Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman comes a compelling story about a teen mom navigating income disparity and racial inequality, and defying challenges to protect those she loves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The threat of gentrification leads a Black teen mother to resort to desperate measures in this profound novel by Lee (Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman). While trying to finish high school, 17-year-old B'onca Johnson is struggling both interpersonally and financially. Barely earning enough money to take care of herself, let alone her newborn daughter, Mia, leaves attending college out of the question, and the rising cost of rent in her Memphis neighborhood further complicates things. The situation takes a turn for the worse when B'onca's 19-year-old ex-boyfriend, Mia's father, is killed, resulting in his parents seeking custody of Mia. Needing money to provide a better life for her daughter, B'onca begins facilitating drug deals for a local gang, hoping that just one job will be "enough to get me on my feet." B'onca's overwhelming love for Mia and fervent determination to do right by her despite potential consequences is stirring . Through the protagonist's viscerally wrought narrative, Lee crafts an unflinching portrayal of seemingly insurmountable hurdles toward overcoming a cycle of financial precarity and improving one's quality of life. Ages 14–up.
