Fighting Words

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

First published 2020

Della is ten years old and Suki has been her constant protector. When their mother went to prison, Suki was there. When their mother's boyfriend took them in, Suki stood by her. When that same man did something terrible and they had to flee quickly, Suki remained at her side. Della thinks of Suki as her wolf, always watching over her. Della gets in trouble for cursing at school, but she knows when to stay silent about things that matter. Then Suki attempts to take her own life, and Della's entire world flips upside down. She realizes she may have stayed quiet about the wrong things. She begins to wonder if it's time to speak up loudly. The two sisters are connected by both love and shared trauma, and they must each discover their own voice before they can reconnect with each other.

Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, abuse, contemporary, young-adult, family-drama

Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking

Tropes: found-family, trauma-recovery

272 pages · Hardcover · Dial Books

Content warnings: abuse, mental-illness, suicide

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