Hope Is Our Only Wing
Shamiso’s father, a journalist investigating government corruption in Zimbabwe, recently died in a car accident. Shamiso and her mother have returned from England, where they were living before his death. With her grief fresh, compounded by rumors her father was murdered, Shamiso, 15, doesn’t want anyone at her new school to know she’s his daughter and keeps her distance from other students. Tanyaradazwa (Tanya), who attends the same school, is a talented singer, but she’s just learned the cancer she hoped was in remission has come back with a tumor on her vocal cords. Tanya doesn’t want pity; neither does Shamiso. It’s what draws them to each other. “Hope is our only wing,” says Tanya, quoting Shamiso’s father without knowing Shamiso is his daughter. But when Tanya gets sicker, Shamiso pulls away, unwilling to face another loss. A novel set in 2008 that deftly and keenly weaves the political and personal— government regulations means it’s harder and harder for Tanya’s family to afford her treatment; a letter from her father that Shamiso loses is a life and death matter because it references the government corruption—is also a beautifully rendered story of friendship between two Black girls. ©2020 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: Age 13 and older
Age Range:
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Grades 9-12 (Age 14 and older)
Format:
Novel
Subjects:
21st Century
Friendship
Grief and Loss
Illness and Disease
Journalism and Media
Oppression
Politics and Political Systems
World History
Zimbabweans and Zimbabwean Americans
Diversity subject:
Black/African
Publisher:
Soho Teen
Publish Year: 2019
Pages: 207
ISBN: 9781641290722
CCBC Location: Fiction, Tavengerwei