Bitter Side Of Sweet

For fans of Linda Sue Park and A Long Way Gone, two young boys must escape a life of slavery in modern-day Ivory Coast

Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. The higher the number the safer they are. The higher the number the closer they are to paying off their debt and returning home. Maybe. The problem is Amadou doesn't know how much he and Seydou owe, and the bosses won't tell him. The boys only wanted to make money to help their impoverished family, instead they were tricked into forced labor on a plantation in the Ivory Coast. With no hope of escape, all they can do is try their best to stay alive--until Khadija comes into their lives.



She's the first girl who's ever come to camp, and she's a wild thing. She fights bravely every day, attempting escape again and again, reminding Amadou what it means to be free. But finally, the bosses break her, and what happens next to the brother he has always tried to protect almost breaks Amadou. The three band together as family and try just once more to escape.

Inspired by true-to-life events happening right now, The Bitter Side of Sweet is an exquisitely written tour de force not to be missed.

"A gripping and painful portrait of modern-day child slavery in the cacao plantations of the Ivory Coast."--The Wall Street Journal

"A tender, harrowing story of family, friendship, and the pursuit of freedom."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Pentru fanii Linda Sue Park si A Long Way Gone, doi baieti tineri trebuie sa scape de o viata de sclavie in Coasta de Fildes moderna, Amadou, in varsta de cincisprezece ani, conteaza lucrurile care conteaza. Timp de doi ani, ceea ce a contat este numarul de pastai de cacao pe care el si fratele sau mai mic, Seydou, le pot taia intr-o zi.