I'd Rather Burn Than Bloom

Winner of the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, Young Adult

“Readers who relish deep character development will appreciate Marisol’s messy evolution toward self-forgiveness…Heart-wrenching and heart-filled.”
-Kirkus (starred)

“Rogers crafts a fast-paced narrative through Marisol’s powerful and poignant voice. Insights into family dynamics, changing friendships, and biracial identity make for realistically messy and enjoyable character growth that one can’t help but empathize with.”
-Publishers Weekly (starred)

“This poignant coming of age story, told in alternating “then” and “now” segments, takes readers on a complicated and isolated journey of loss, with welcome moments of humor.”
-Horn Book Magazine

“A moving meditation on grief and the healing balm of forgiveness–especially self-forgiveness. I’d Rather Burn than Bloom is a light in all the dark places that healing requires we tread. A brilliant, bold debut!”
-Aminah Mae Safi, author of Tell Me How You Really Feel

“In her smart, poignant and tear-jerking debut, Rogers expertly navigates the light and the dark, ensuring a delicate balance of laughter and tears from her readers. An aching and urgent book about love, loss and finding one’s place in the world.”
-Aditi Khorana, author of Mirror in the Sky

Shannon C.F. Rogers is a multiracial American writer of Filipinx and European descent. She studied writing at the University of New Mexico and Antioch University Los Angeles while serving as an educator, after-school program director, and lost mitten finder at schools in Albuquerque, Chicago, and NYC. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. She is also the author of I’d Rather Burn Than Bloom.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.