Sun Keep Rising, Kristen R. Lee
Sun Keep Rising, Kristen R. Lee
List: $25.00 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.50

Sun Keep Rising

Author: Kristen R. Lee

Narrator: Kacie Rogers

Unabridged: 5 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/24/2023


Synopsis

When rent increases put a teen mom at risk of losing her home, she resorts to a dangerous game to keep her family afloat. But all games have consequences, and this isn't one she can afford to lose. A gripping story about race, income instability, and the strength it takes to survive from a critically acclaimed author.

"Kristen R. Lee is a miraculous story weaver"-Mahogany L. Browne, author of Vinyl Moon

B’onca always knew how to get by. And then her daughter is born. She wouldn’t trade Mia for anything, but there is never enough cash to go around. When their gentrifying Memphis neighborhood results in higher prices and then an eviction notice, B’onca’s already fragile world spirals. Desperate to make things right, B’onca forges a risky plan to help pay the bills. But one wrong move could cost B’onca—and her family—everything.

From the celebrated author of Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman comes a compelling story about a teen mom navigating income disparity and racial inequality, and defying challenges to protect those she loves.

About The Author

Kristen R. Lee is a native of Memphis, Tennessee. After graduating from college, she began to write her experiences attending a predominantly white institution, which led to the first draft of Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman. She’s worked as a mentor for foster youth and has interned in a school setting, where she counseled middle-school-aged children. Writing stories that reflect often-unheard voices is what she strives to do. Learn more about Kristen at kristenleebooks.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Dona's on March 15, 2023

Thank you to the author Kristin R. Lee, publishers Random House Children's, and as always NetGalley, for an advance digital copy of SUN KEEP RISING. B'Onca is a teen mom, facing all the challenges and judgments young, poor, black teen moms face when they're not teen fathers, when their rents are risi......more

Goodreads review by Toya (thereadingchemist) on January 16, 2023

Lee does a fantastic job of tackling tough subjects such as teen pregnancy, gentrification, drug addiction, and street violence in this short yet poignant coming of age novel. Thank you Get Underlined for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.......more

Goodreads review by Kelsie on October 19, 2022

Sun Keep Rising is multicultural interest teen and young adult fiction by Kristen R. Lee. B’onca Johnson is a teen mother facing hard decisions. How can she help keep her family from being evicted from their home? Is she making the right choice? Is the reward worth the grave risks? Kristen R. Lee ta......more

Goodreads review by Rae | My Cousin’s Book Club on January 06, 2023

2.75 stars, rounded up to 3 Overall, this was an interesting story with a few different topics that I am familiar with - teen mom, addiction, gentrification, poverty and more. I can't say that I liked or disliked the main character, B'onca. She had a complicated narrative and often times made decisio......more

Goodreads review by Gina on December 13, 2022

Sun Keep Rising is about B'onca, a teen mom living in poverty. She has a 4 month old baby, and the two of them live with B'onca's sister and one of her sister's children. Right off the bat, it is inclusive to lived experiences that many people have, because B'onca's sister has more than one child bu......more


Quotes

Praise for Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman:

“A work of sass and more than a hint of Black girl magic.” –Booklist

Moving and authentic.” –Kirkus Review

"Lee’s thoughtful debut, a timely, quickly paced look at the trauma Black students often face in white institutions, brings a refreshingly vulnerable honesty to this narrative centering one Black collegiate transition.” –Publishers Weekly