Hope Is Our Only Wing
Written by Rutendo Tavengerwei
Published by Soho Press
Set in Zimbabwe, Rutendo Tavengerwei’s unforgettable novel offers a beautiful and honest look at adolescence, friendship, and the capacity for courage.
For fifteen-year-old Shamiso, hope is nothing but a leap into darkness. Grief-stricken and confused after her father’s mysterious death in a car crash, Shamiso moves with her mother from England to Zimbabwe in order to pick up the pieces—returning to an extended family and a world she hardly remembers. For Tanyaradzwa, a classmate whose life has been turned upside down by a cancer diagnosis, hope is the only reason to keep fighting. As an unexpected friendship blossoms between them and the two girls navigate the increasingly uncertain political situation in Zimbabwe, Tanyaradzwa helps Shamiso confront her fear of loss.

Primary ISBN: 9781641290722
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, eBook
Young Adult, Age 14 or older
Community Represented: Zimbabwean/Zimbabwean American
Themes: Family Relationship: Parents, Multiracial Identity, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Trauma & Healing: Death of Family or Friend, Visiting Home Country
Setting: Zimbabwe
Character’s New Arrival/New American Status: Immigrant
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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