The Bitter Side of Sweet

Narrator JD Jackson captures the complex emotions of 15-year-old Amadou, who is trapped at a work camp on the Ivory Coast with his younger brother, Seydou. Every day Amadou must carry out the grueling work of cutting down cacao pods in order to protect himself and his brother from punishment by the bosses. After he befriends a newly imprisoned girl, Khadija, and his brother suffers a horrendous injury, Amadou musters the courage to attempt an escape. Jackson expresses Amadou's anger as he struggles to deal with everyday life, but also his softness when he shows his deep love for his brother. This powerful story of suffering and pain juxtaposed with family and friendship makes a lasting impact on the listener. M.D. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Starred review from November 30, 2015
Sullivan (Golden Boy) shines a harsh light on the horrors of modern-day slavery through 15-year old Amadou’s struggles to care for his eight-year old brother, Seydou, while farmers force them to harvest cacao on an Ivory Coast plantation. Amadou’s understated narration accentuates his desperation: “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.” Tricked two years earlier into believing they had been offered seasonal work, the boys are locked in a shed at night, beaten for the smallest infraction, and punished with food deprivation. Escape attempts by a newly arrived 13-year-old girl, Khadija, inadvertently lead to Seydou suffering grievous injury. Terrified, but recognizing that Seydou will die if they remain enslaved, Amadou and Khadija make one more attempt at freedom. In a poignant scene later on, Amadou drinks hot chocolate, but gags when he realizes its source. His plea to Khadija’s journalist mother to write their story, or “we won’t have anyone to speak for us,” underscores the disturbing realities underlying this heart-wrenching survival tale. Ages 12–up. Agent: Caryn Wiseman, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.