47. Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

The Library Coven

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Greetings, coven! In this episode we discuss Pet by Akwaeke Emezi, their debut young adult novel. It’s a pretty quick read that deals with some heavy issues in ways that are accessible to younger audiences (i.e., middle grade) as well as teen and adult readers. Pet was a finalist for the 2019 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature – after reading it, we understand why!

Content warning for discussions child physical and sexual abuse.

On to some (brief) notes!

• Kelly highly recommends Emezi’s article “My Spirit Burns Through This Body” (Paris Review, 10 December 2020).

“My spirit bends worlds and does things that shouldn’t be possible, not with the way my flesh or this world is set up, but I’m learning that my body is something to be reckoned with as well. It keeps receipts and inevitably claims its debts.”

• Emezi’s other books include The Death of Vivek Oji, Freshwater, and Dear Senthuran
• Kelly has been learning from the collection Beyond Survival: Strategies and Stories from Transformative Justice Movements, edited by Ejeris Dixon and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha
• Check out this short video about the book cover design process

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