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The Bitter Side of Sweet

Tara Sullivan (Goodreads Author)

4.24 · Rating details · 2,661 ratings · 539 reviews

Two young boys must escape a life of slavery in modern-day Ivory Coast

Fifteen-year-old Amadou counts the things that matter. For two years what has mattered are the number of cacao pods he and his younger brother, Seydou, can chop down in a day. This number is very important. The higher the number the safer they are because the bosses won’t beat them. The higher the number ...more

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Hardcover, 336 pages

Published February 23rd 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

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· 2,661 ratings · 539 reviews

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Dec 03, 2016 Diane S ☔ rated it really liked it

The dark underbelly of the chocolate industry, an indulgence many of us can't live without. Well, personally I can, I'm more into salty snacks, seems like you are either one or the other. Anyway apparently 40% of the cocoa pods are harvested on the Ivory coast of Africa, large farms and harvested by children in slave conditions. This is the story of three of them. Amadou is 13, his brother Seydou only six when they leave their home in Mali to, work on one such farm. They expect to get paid, make ...more

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Nov 21, 2016 Taryn rated it really liked it

Shelves: received-from-publisher, young-adult, netgalley

Fast-paced and engaging story about the dark side of the chocolate industry. For 12 & up.

I don’t count how many trees we pass because I don’t count the things that don’t matter. I don’t count unripe pods. I don’t count how many times I’ve been hit for being under quota. I don’t count how many days it’s been since I’ve given up hope of going home.

Two years ago, Amadou (15) and his brother Seydou (8) left their home in Mali to find a seasonal job and earn money for their family. Instead, they Fast-paced and engaging story about the dark side of the chocolate industry. For 12 & up.

I don’t count how many trees we pass because I don’t count the things that don’t matter. I don’t count unripe pods. I don’t count how many times I’ve been hit for being under quota. I don’t count how many days it’s been since I’ve given up hope of going home.

Two years ago, Amadou (15) and his brother Seydou (8) left their home in Mali to find a seasonal job and earn money for their family. Instead, they were brought to the Ivory Coast and sold into slavery on a cacao farm. The work is dangerous and the children are beaten and starved if they don’t meet the undefined quota. The bosses promise they can return home when they pay off their debt, but Amadou has never seen anyone being released from duty. One day, a girl is brought to the camp. Khadija (13) is defiant and determined to escape. Amadou had lost all hope of ever going home, but her willful spirit makes him start thinking about the outside world again. When Seydou’s life comes under threat, Amadou sees no other choice but to attempt an escape.

“A lot of bad things happened to us . . . Just because you were there when they happened doesn’t mean they’re your fault.”

The story is told from Amadou's perspective. Amadou feels guilty about bringing his beloved brother into this horrific situation. He's done everything he can to protect Seydou, but he’s beginning to feel resentful. His brother is young and doesn’t fully understand the consequences of his actions. The farm bosses know Seydou is Amadou’s weak spot and they exploit that weakness when they can. Seydou wants to be treated more like an equal than a baby brother. He's frustrated that Amadou doesn't see him as capable.

A girl has never been brought to the farm before and all the boys at the farm are fascinated when Khadija arrives. Khadija is different from the girls in Amadou's village. He assumes her family must be wealthy because she's well-fed and educated. He wonders how she ended up at the farm, but she isn't ready to tell her story. Khadija's defiance makes his life difficult, but they have no choice but to work together as their situation grows worse.

It hurts too much to think that, after all this work, there may be some journeys that you just never come all the way home from.

While this book isn’t extremely graphic, there is disturbing content: beatings, descriptions of bodily injury, starvation, and rape (Chapter 6, the description of what Amadou is witnessing is vague). The journey these kids embark on is terrifying. They have little food or money. They have no means of communication, so help is not just a phone call away. No one can be trusted and they have to worry about encountering wild animals. They have to come up with creative solutions to get out of terrible situations. Their survival didn't feel guaranteed at any point. Amadou has to make some very adult decisions by the end. The anxiety I felt for these characters was real. I could not stop turning the pages, yet I was also scared of what these kids would come across next.

There were a few aspects that took me out of the story. Amadou's voice didn't always feel authentic, they get lucky too many times, and it was a bit preachy in the end. There are a few flashbacks, but I wanted to learn even more about Amadou and Seydou’s life back in Mali. However, the author was successful in creating an engaging story with memorable characters that educates younger audiences about the human cost of chocolate. The author's note at the end speaks about the reality of the situation and includes a list of small actions kids can perform to make a difference. Throughout the book, the characters occasionally use common phrases from their own language and there's a glossary at the end. Most of the time it was easy to understand from context.

There are thousands of kids like us, working across the country to make a sweet for rich kids in other places. Thousands. It’s a number that matters so much I can’t wrap my mind around it.

This book sheds light on the industry practices that bring us our cheap sweets. The major chocolate companies distance themselves from the actions of the farmers, even though low compensation and lack of oversight contribute to the situation. While there are laws against child labor in many countries, over 150 million children around the world live and work without those safeguards. The Bitter Side of Sweet is a reminder of the importance of being an informed consumer. It shows how our dollars may be indirectly funding things that go against our values and actively harming our fellow man. As Sullivan writes in her author’s note, "chocolate companies cannot exist without consumer demand."

Relevant Links:
A six-minute video that shows cacao farmers taste chocolate for the first time. Also shows some of the harvesting process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEN4hcZutO0
The Dark Side of Chocolate - 2010 documentary recommended by the author
List of Ethical Chocolate Companies
Chocolate: the industry’s hidden truth (and the easy stuff we can do to still enjoy it) - This writer suggests looking for chocolate that has a short supply chain and/or purchasing chocolate that is produced in Central America and South America.

_______________

I received this book for free from Netgalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This book is available for purchase now! The audiobook is available on Hoopla, for those with libraries that subscribe.
...more

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Sep 16, 2017 Jan rated it really liked it

I love chocolate and eat some just about every day. Like most people, I never really gave much thought to where it comes from. I really had no idea. I do now, and it gives me grief to know what so many child workers, who are basically slaves, go through to harvest those cacao pods so we can all have a candy bar or a cup of cocoa, something they may never get to enjoy in their possibly short life, since most of them are beaten, starved, and overworked 7 days a week. I will keep eating chocolate, ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Rory rated it it was amazing

It was kind of sad, but very good!

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Jun 08, 2020 Kym Moore rated it really liked it

One has to be extremely angry, heartbroken, and sad when reading this novel. I know I certainly was. While accounts of such a story are nothing new to me, just like the conditions on the mining of blood diamonds, cocoa farms, using child slavery to harvest cacao pods without pay at remote cacao plantations in the Ivory Coast should infuriate anyone with a heart of compassion for their fellow human being.

Chocolate is one of our greatest indulgences and it's hard to find too many people who do no One has to be extremely angry, heartbroken, and sad when reading this novel. I know I certainly was. While accounts of such a story are nothing new to me, just like the conditions on the mining of blood diamonds, cocoa farms, using child slavery to harvest cacao pods without pay at remote cacao plantations in the Ivory Coast should infuriate anyone with a heart of compassion for their fellow human being.

Chocolate is one of our greatest indulgences and it's hard to find too many people who do not like it. This story is one that albeit a novel, it is a true testament of reality - child slavery. This is too prevalent and despicable. As with most situations like this, it comes down to lots of money and greed, but not for child workers. Fifteen-year-old Amadou and his younger brother Seydou wanted to make some money during the dry season to help their poor family, but this turned into a two-year, harsh, and painful experience. To make matters worse, they were never ever paid. They were tricked into backbreaking forced labor, living and working in dangerous conditions, living on little food, and with no hope for escape.

One day, for reasons they could not understand, a young girl named Khadija comes into their lives. She is the first girl who's ever come to the camp and her fiery and feisty attitude is why Amadou called her Wild Cat. She constantly attempts to escape, but Amadou tries talking her out of it and resents her for getting him and his brother Seydou whom he is trying to protect in trouble. One day, when Amadou was not there to watch over Seydou, an accident occurs which resulted in his arm having to be amputated. This nearly killed Amadou and he blames himself and even more so, he blames Khadija. Yet, one day, things changed after Khadija and Amadou have a long conversation.

The old impulse to run is suddenly awakened and the three band together as a family and try just once more to escape. They break away and jump into the back of a truck carrying the cocoa pods after setting fire to several structures to distract from their plans. They finally get away running, ducking, and hiding to make sure they do not get caught.

They finally reached Khadija's house and her mother gets a doctor to come to the house to check out Seydou's amputated arm and for the first time in their lives, they take a shower. Khadija's mother has been working on a story about the cocoa crops, but some people in the industry do not want it to get out about the child slavery they were using on the farms. This is why Khadija was taken, to keep her mother's mouth shut about the evidence she'd uncovered regarding the child slavery.

But someone was following them and now all of them have to flee to safety. Khadija's mother doesn't know what to do with Amadou and Seydou until they convince her to continue writing her story for all of the child slaves who have no one to speak for them. They tell her about their experiences on the cocoa plantation. Amadou asks Khadija's mother for one more favor, to take them to a farm that pays. She complies and takes them to a cocoa farm run by a boss named Abdoulaye. She speaks with Abdoulaye about looking out for the boys and leaves instructions on how to get in touch with her in France. It is a bittersweet goodbye between the boys, Khadija and her mother. Khadija's mother promises she would get her article published about the dark secrets behind cocoa farms and send a copy of the article to the farm for them. For the first time, Amadou refused to count things that don't matter. Seydou gets a prosthesis for his arm and flourishes in school.

This is a good read I recommend. ...more

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Jun 22, 2016 Jessie rated it it was amazing

Unbelievably good book! I couldn't put it down and read into the wee hours of the morning to finish it. Such a gripping tale of two brothers forced to work on a cacao farm harvesting the cacao pods. The treatment of these kids broke my heart and I couldn't breathe at parts were punishment was about to happen. I think everyone should read this. I will certainly look at chocolate a different way from here on out. ...more

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Sep 10, 2018 Caden R. 8B rated it it was ok

The characters were bland. The ending was pretty expected too.

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Apr 12, 2016 Ms. Yingling rated it really liked it

Amadou and Seydou have been sent by their family to work on a cacao farm, but once they are there, they are mistreated and no money is sent to their family. They are regularly beaten for not picking their quota, and Seydou, who is only 8, is badly wounded in an accident. With the help of Khadija, an educated girl from the city who is also brought to the farm, the brothers escape and make it back to Khadija's mother, who is trying to expose the horrors of the chocolate industry. It is because of Amadou and Seydou have been sent by their family to work on a cacao farm, but once they are there, they are mistreated and no money is sent to their family. They are regularly beaten for not picking their quota, and Seydou, who is only 8, is badly wounded in an accident. With the help of Khadija, an educated girl from the city who is also brought to the farm, the brothers escape and make it back to Khadija's mother, who is trying to expose the horrors of the chocolate industry. It is because of her that Khadija was kidnapped. Mother and daughter plan to go to France, but since the boys have no papers, they can't leave the country. After learning about fair trade farms, the boys ask to be dropped off at one so that they can work but not be beaten.
Strengths:If you're looking for multicultural books about children in other countries, this would be a good one. Lots of details about what it is like for a child to be forced to work in the cocoa industry. I liked the humanity that Amadou showed throughout the book, even though being nice to others made things worse for him. The author puts a positive spin on this by informing children about things they can do to help. This would be a definite purchase for a high school.
https://tarasullivanbooks.com/do-some...
Weaknesses: Might be hard to find a middle grade audience for this-- there are a few graphic things, but it's the length that may turn children away.
What I really think: I will buy a copy to support this author and to give to motivated children.

One of the reasons that I buy the vast majority of my clothes and household items at the thrift store is that I am not giving money to companies that produce clothing overseas and may use unfair labor practices. Yes, someone has paid the money to those companies, but my money goes to local concerns and even gives a tiny amount to charity. I also hope that buying things at the thrift store keeps them out of landfills.

If we all did things that are small for us (like making sure our chocolate is fair trade and recycling), the world would be a better place! ...more

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Jun 16, 2016 Gary Anderson rated it it was amazing

Amadou and Seydou are two young Malian brothers enslaved on a cacao farm on Africa’s Ivory Coast, the origin of much of the world’s chocolate trade. When another kidnapped worker arrives, the first girl among the enslaved children, her “wildcat” tendencies challenge the overseers and lead to horrific consequences for the children.

Although clearly written for younger readers, author Tara Sullivan masterfully conveys the brutality of the children’s situation without being graphic. Terrible things ...more

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Jan 11, 2016 Sam Musher rated it really liked it

Shelves: social-issues, disability, kids-making-a-difference, ya-read, content, protagonist-of-color, international, family, topical, siblings

I love Golden Boy, but it's always a bit of a hard sell -- I usually have to explain what albino means, and then why Habo is threatened as an albino in Tanzania, and by that point the kids have given up. The idea of hunting a child as a magical talisman is just such a foreign situation.

Bitter Side of Sweet won't have that problem. "It's about kids who work as slaves on a chocolate farm, until their daring escape" is a quick soundbite for standing by the shelves. Not all middle schoolers want to ...more

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Dec 10, 2015 Rachel Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc

I received a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

"The bosses said we could leave when we'd earned out our purchase price." I add. "But they wouldn't tell me how much we owed, and in all the time we worked there, I only saw boys arrive or die, never leave when they wanted to. And we never once got paid."

This book tore me apart and glued me back together. Several times. I become attached to this book after just 50 pages and i neglected the other 3 books I am currently reading. I would defi ...more

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Apr 10, 2017 Allison rated it it was amazing

I had a love-hate (90% love, 10% hate) relationship with this book. The reason for hate? "The Bitter Side of Sweet" was SO sad!! I even cried once and almost cried a billion times). But, there were so many amazing things in this book. Once I would start reading, I couldn't put the book down. The story is action-packed and fast paced, with a beautiful fluency to everything, plus in-depth characters. ...more

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Nov 11, 2017 Mrs. Davi rated it really liked it

Chocolate has been one of my besties for a long time now, but this book kind of made me feel like it should be removed from my diet! Amadou and Seydou are characters who I just felt so deeply sorry for and I loved the fierceness of Khadija throughout the story. it did drag at some points and felt like it was much longer than a ten day journey but I liked how other people stepped up and brought some closure to the brothers. This one will definitely get you thinking!

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Feb 26, 2019 Aliesha P rated it it was amazing

This was an incredible book. It was about to boys named Amadou and Seydou who are brothers. They are working at a cocoa farm. They think that they will get paid but end up not getting paid. They work there for 2 years when a girl comes along. She does not want to be their like everyone else so she try's to escape. At one point Amadou and her try to escape together. This is a great story about never giving up. I would definitely recommend this book. ...more

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May 19, 2019 Sarah_ E1 rated it it was amazing

This book tells the story of a 15-year-old boy called Amadou. He lives in Africa where the only thing that mattered the most was his little brother, Seydou, and cacao pods. The harder they work, the more pods they can chop down and collect in a day, the better their chances of staying alive. But they have never gotten paid or been set free to their homes. This goes on forever until they grow weaker and weaker.

Chocolate: a wonderful treat that people eat, put in desserts, and used to make hot ch This book tells the story of a 15-year-old boy called Amadou. He lives in Africa where the only thing that mattered the most was his little brother, Seydou, and cacao pods. The harder they work, the more pods they can chop down and collect in a day, the better their chances of staying alive. But they have never gotten paid or been set free to their homes. This goes on forever until they grow weaker and weaker.

Chocolate: a wonderful treat that people eat, put in desserts, and used to make hot chocolate. Today, we have a cheap sweet which we eat thoughtlessly. It’s hard to believe that Amadou and Seydou are only fictional characters, but their stories are of which thousands of children share to produce a treat for other children half a world away. These unfortunate children end up as forced labor on a cacao plantation. Cacao comes at a terrible cost: these children can’t go to school, they are forced to carry bags that weight more than 100 pounds filled with cacao pods, they are beaten if they don’t work fast enough, they barely get food to eat, children die of weakness, and every strike of the machete to open the pods to reveal cocoa beans, has the potential to slice a child’s flesh. Today, almost 75% of the world’s cocoa is grown in Africa, with 40% of it coming from Ivory Coast alone. Some stay at the camps all the way up to adulthood.

One of the big themes in this book is trust and treating people equally as you. Even though there were tough times and conflict between the two very close brothers: Seydou and Amadou, in the end, they let go of the burden inside of them to each other while escaping.

Seydou had always been a weak little boy needy of his brother in Amadou’s heart. But Amadou never realizes until the end that Seydou is just as capable as doing things as him. Amadou always had the thought in his head that he had to take care of Seydou and make sure everything is alright with him. And when things go bad, he puts it on his shoulders and blames himself. He puts the heavy weight of regret on himself and carries it.

While they finally poured out their thoughts in the night, Seydou said, “Just because you were there when they happened doesn’t mean it’s your fault.” As Seydou sits on his heel and looks at Amadou earnestly, “his haunted face wears a serious expression.” And in Amadou’s point of view, it says, “he suddenly looks much older than eight.” Seydou then said softly, “You were always watching me make sure I didn’t get hurt. You came between me and the boys who were rough. Between me and the bosses. You took my beatings for me again and again.” His voice trembled a little bit. “I’m sorry I was so useless and couldn’t keep up better.” But Amadou replies saying, “You’re not useless. You’re the only reason I didn’t give up.” “Me too,” Seydou says.

Amadou never realized that both of them are in need of each other. To keep on going; keep on fighting. Even though that night there was no plan or guarantee of safety, he knew that they were going to be there for each other no matter what.

Another evidence of trust and not underestimating someone is when Amadou, Seydou, and Khadija, a sister like a friend who helped escape with them, needed to buy food in the market. But the problem was that they didn’t know how to shop in the market.

Surprisingly, Seydou excitedly volunteers to go the market and buy some food because he used to “tag along with Auntie when she would go shopping for us at home.” But Amadou never let him help with these kinds of things; he would be afraid of him getting hurt or harm them. Even though he “kept up with the other boys and brought you food when you were chained,” he still doesn’t trust him enough.

Unexpectedly, Seydou made Khadija awe in wonder by how smart he was after buying the food. But Amadou answered with “You’ve got to be kidding. He just paid more than the full price for three eggs to that witch over there.” He didn’t even see that Seydou picked someone who was loud and stingy so that everyone would hear that he had money and wasn’t a beggar. Then he paid a good price and was all open. He was trusting and sweet and being polite when handing her the money. Since he melted everyone’s heart in the market, he may have paid full price for those eggs but he didn’t pay full price for anything else. And sure enough, within half an hour Seydou trotted out of the market with “a bag of roasted peanuts, three hot ears of cooked corn, small papaya, and a length of sugarcane” balanced in his arms.

Amadou was definitely surprised and extremely proud of Seydou, but he also realized he had misunderstood him all this time. Sometimes in life, we underestimate someone’s ability to do something because of their age. But we have to come to the realization that we should notice the strengths in everyone and that anyone can do anything.

...more

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May 19, 2019 Chana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: pop-sugar-challenge-2019, africa, world-literature, young-adult, slavery

Child slavery, working the cacao fields on the Ivory Coast. Poor farm kids from Mali looking for work, promised jobs in the cacao fields, find out they won't get paid and won't get to go home. The conditions are brutal, there is no respite, your family has no idea where you might be. Runaways are caught and beaten badly, let that be a lesson to the others. They work with pesticides with no gloves or breathing protection. They are given a minimum of food to eat. This isn't a job working in the ca ...more

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Jan 18, 2016 Marla rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult, first-to-read, 2015

My review (originally published at Read, Run, Ramble)

The Bitter Side of Sweet is the first and only book I read in December. Yes, you read that correctly – first AND only. I’ve been in a horribly hard to shake reading slump. For months I’ve gotten very little pleasure from the books I’ve read and just generally haven’t felt up to reading. That feeling has left me scared to pick up books because I’m worried the slump will affect how I feel about the book and I don’t want to ruin any treasures wit ...more

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Aug 11, 2016 Brooke ♥booklife4life♥ rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, read-in-2016, mmc-2016, hangman-used

**Find this and other reviews, plus fun stuff, on my blogs! Booklikes or Blogspot**Basic Info

Format: Audio
Pages/Length: n/a
Genre: Young Adult
Reason For Reading: Cover

At A Glance

Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: no
Cliff Hanger: No
Triggers: n/a
Rating: 3 stars

Score Sheet
All out of ten

Cover: 7
Plot: 7
Characters: 6
World Building: 5
Flow: 6
Series Congruity: n/a
Writing: 7
Ending: 7

Total: 7

In Dept

Best Part: A nicely written female side character.
Worst Part: Wasn't too clear that they were little ki ...more

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Sep 01, 2017 Agata Wilusz rated it it was amazing

So many great things to mention about The Bitter Side of Sweet! First of all, I loved the relationship between brothers Amadou and Seydou, specifically how the reader can see them grow and develop over the course of the novel. They are always there for one another, as family should be!
I was very thankful that, although we learned about life on the farm, we didn't not have to endure the brutality through a first hand account. It was bad enough to imagine these things happening to children let al ...more

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Aug 17, 2017 A. Minin rated it it was amazing

Loved it! "The Bitter Side of Sweet" was written with such depth and eloquence that I simply couldn't put it down. The characters' emotions were represented in such a beautiful manner, so real, so rich. This book is a must read for anyone. It brings to life the struggles of kids who don't have a voice, and are so often forgotten. I didn't expect to fall into this story, but I ended up savoring every last word. "The Bitter Side of Sweet" has definitely earned its place on the Rebecca Caudill 2018 ...more

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Nov 19, 2017 Alexis W rated it it was amazing

The book The Bitter Side of Sweet was an eye-opener. Just one little cheap piece of chocolate can cost so much to someones lives. Amadou and his little brother Seydou are stuck in a fruit farm where they grow and pick cacao a fruit used to produce chocolate. Amadou is finding it hard to keep going as they get beatings regularly and Amadou had to take care of his little brother. Then wildcat arrives. Amadou finally realized how to save his little brother by trying something that seems impossible ...more

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Jan 08, 2017 Lydia rated it it was amazing

I love it! I just finished this book and I still can't get my mind off of it. Sullivan understands the human's thinking process in the best way anyone could ever understand. Then, she takes it one step further by making a book with it using lyrical and expressive writing. This book will help you understand why we fear the unknown, why we hesitate to trust, and what family and friends really mean to you. ...more

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Oct 06, 2017 Leslie Bryan rated it liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Would recommend for realistic fiction lovers, those who are interested in different parts of the world, and young social activists. The story of Amadou, Seydou, and Khadijah is striking and brings to light the untold horrors of the chocolate industry. This book makes you think about the real costs of what we consume.

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Apr 24, 2017 Rachel Reinwald rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2016-releases

Nonfiction pair with Bitter Chocolate: Investigating the Dark Side of the World's Most Seductive Sweet
by Carol Off ...more

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Jun 16, 2018 Lucy rated it it was ok

Actual rating: 2.5 stars, but rounded down because it definitely doesn't deserve 3/5. While I can see why people like this book, I believe that it needs to be judged as a book, and not just as a lesson.

Overall Issues
loved not for being a book -- First and foremost, it pains me that this book has such a high rating on GoodReads. It has a terrifying and eye-opening story, but it's executed so poorly that how anyone thought this was an amazing book is beyond me. To me, this exact story could've bee ...more

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Dec 13, 2018 Kimberly rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-grade, africa, children-s-books, audio

This was an excellent and very depressing book. I thought maybe I could use this one for my 5th-8th grade book discussion, but the subject matter is pretty dark. At one point the main character witnesses the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl and that act has repercussions through the rest of the book. Another character violently loses a limb. I had a really, really hard time listening to this one. I actually ended up checking it out three times altogether because I needed a break from the ver ...more

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Jun 02, 2018 Erin Liles rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is a heartbreakingly lovely story about fifteen-year-old Amadou and his little brother Seydou who work in a forced labor camp harvesting cacao on the Ivory Coast. The story explores child slavery, and you will never look at chocolate in quite the same way again. The author clearly did her research, but it never overshadows the story, which is, at its heart, about the relationship of two brothers and the fiery Khadija, whom they meet at the camp and who teaches the boys about hope and courag ...more

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Dec 21, 2018 Michele rated it it was amazing

so eye opening and such a great read.

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Jul 21, 2020 Kevin Kern rated it liked it

Both a horrifying and uplifting tale of child slaves on the Ivory Coast, picking cacao pods for the worldwide consumption of chocolate. Unfortunately, the author tries to politicize it a little too much, blaming it mostly on America. Much of the world eats chocolate!
It is a good book and probably should be used in freshman history/social studies classes. Two brothers beaten if quotas aren't met and then a young girl shows up at the camp. The cruelty intensifies and a child loses an arm. Anymore ...more

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May 24, 2016 Ravanna Dee rated it it was amazing

This book is what I would call an eye opener. And I'll explain why in a moment.

The writing is intriguing enough to keep you captivated, and the story line...Well, it's kinda different from anything else I've ever read before. There's no romance (Sorry romance lovers. :/ ) but there is action, heartbreak, and incredible acts of heroism. I don't want to put in too many spoilers, but lets just say, my heart expanded a little when Khadija jumped onto one of the "bosses" back (Evidently giving hersel ...more

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About Tara Sullivan

Tara Sullivan

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Tara Sullivan is an award-winning author of Young Adult novels that address contemporary human rights issues. Born in India, she spent her childhood in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic. She received a BA in Spanish literature and cognitive science from the University of Virginia, and a MA/MPA in Latin American studies/nonprofit management from Indiana University. Her debut, ...more

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“I decide that, for now, I will allow myself to be happy with how far we’ve come and I won’t let myself fear what will happen next.” — 2 likes

“We sit like that until the sun bleeds into the night sky and the cracks in the wooden shed door glow pink. When this happens I know we've made it through the worst of it. Pain is like sadness; both are easier to bear in daylight.” — 2 likes

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