Elizabeth Acevedo with Dujie Tahat

About this event

Elizabeth Acevedo’s new novel, Anger Is Only a Shadow, centers around teenage Lil, who is anything but small. She’s rebellious, she’s loyal; she’s figuring out what kind of good person she wants to be, or if she wants to be a good person at all. But more than anything, Lil wants to be free. When her instinct for freedom leads to another stay in juvenile detention, Lil knows she’s lucky to just be on probation. But judgment, guilt, and an ankle monitor weigh heavily on her. The only person who might understand is her big brother, Aldwin, but he’s a hundred miles away at college. Something’s been off with him, too. As her court hearing ticks closer, a question looms over Lil: Will she follow the rules until her sentencing or put her future freedom on the line? After receiving the National Book Award for her first YA novel, The Poet X, Acevedo returns to YA, tackling several complex issues such as the youth criminal justice system, mental health struggles, growing up with your family, and learning to find your autonomy.