Fight Like a Girl

by Sheena Kamal Narrated by Sheena Kamal

Overview

The Beauty of the Moment meets Exit, Pursued by a Bear. Award-winning thriller writer Sheena Kamal delivers a kick-ass debut YA novel that will have fans crying out for more.

Love and violence. In some families they're bound up together, dysfunctional and poisonous, passed from generation to generation like eye color or a quirk of smile. Trisha's trying to break the chain, channeling her violent impulses into Muay Thai kickboxing, an unlikely sport for a slightly built girl of Trinidadian descent. Her father comes and goes as he pleases, his presence adding a layer of tension to the Toronto east-end townhouse that Trisha and her mom call home, every punch he lands on her mother carving itself indelibly into Trisha's mind. Until the night he wanders out drunk in front of the car Trisha is driving, practicing on her learner's permit, her mother in the passenger seat. Her father is killed, and her mother seems strangely at peace. Lighter, somehow. Trisha doesn't know exactly what happened that night, but she's afraid it's going to happen again. Her mom has a new man in her life and the patterns, they are repeating.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

One of NOW’s must read books for spring
One of Quill & Quire's Best Books of 2020
One of CCBC’s Best Books for Kids and Teens Fall 2020
One of CBC Books' Best Middle-Grade and Young Adult Books of 2020
One of Canadian Children's Book News’ Best Books of 2020

PRAISE FOR Fight Like a Girl:

"Fascinating and complicated." —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

“With a propulsive, assured voice, Trisha’s tale spools out in a compelling, musical rush.” —Toronto Star

“If this is the future of YA, long may it prosper.” —Globe and Mail

“The prose is hard-hitting and characters perfectly nuanced as Kamal reminds teen girls to step into their power both outside and inside the ring.” —49th Shelf

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2021-12-15
A 17-year-old struggles to understand the accident that took her father’s life in this young adult debut by an acclaimed mystery writer.

Trinidadian Canadian Trisha, a West Indian girl of Indian descent, has always found herself most at peace while training at her muay thai gym in one of Toronto’s grittier neighborhoods. Embracing muay thai has helped her grow stronger in all ways and, most importantly, given her a much-needed outlet far away from her tumultuous home life. Though she has always known that her parents’ relationship has been defined by violence, nothing prepares Trisha for what happens when she is practicing for her learner’s permit with her mother one rainy evening. Her father suddenly appears in front of the vehicle and is fatally struck. As Trisha tries to remember exactly what happened that night, she also begins to wonder if the accident was more than what it seemed. These suspicions grow as Trisha begins to discover new information about her parents, including secrets her mother has kept from her. Kamal’s raw novel about a young fighter from a working-class background fittingly pulls no punches when it comes to examining the lasting impact of familial trauma. Trisha’s search for the truth will stay with readers, as will the satisfying feeling that they have finished reading a truly complex page-turner.

Fascinating and complicated. (Mystery. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940176956238
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	03/31/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos