Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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Presenter of
the National Book Awards
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Amber McBride teaches English literature at Northern Virginia Community College and has a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College. Her work has been published in Ploughshares, Provincetown Arts, Decomp, and more. (Photo credit: Mario McBride) More about this author >
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FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted.
Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots. If he knows more about where he comes from, maybe he’ll be able to understand his ongoing depression. And if Moth can help him feel grounded, then perhaps she too will discover the history she carries in her bones.
Moth and Sani take a road trip that has them chasing ghosts and searching for ancestors. The way each moves forward is surprising, powerful, and unforgettable.
Here is an exquisite and uplifting novel about identity, first love, and the ways that our memories and our roots steer us through the universe.
With haunting lyricism and mellifluous free verse, Me (Moth) is equal parts ancestor veneration and land acknowledgment that honors the spiritual traditions of African and Native people. Amber McBride registers themes of death, survivor's guilt, and mental illness that pulse in the veins of Moth and Sani’s love songs. Me (Moth) reminds us that monuments of America’s past are like ghosts that plague our collective dreams—dismantling them will guide our healing and reconciliation.
Amber McBride, 2021 National Book Awards Young People’s Lit. Finalist, reads from ME (MOTH)
