When the Ground Is Hard

WINNER OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE • In this poignant coming-of-age tale, two black girls break all the rules on race, class, and gender to bravely become more themselves.

“Accidents, lies, thefts . . . secrets . . . dead bodies, and illicit rendezvous make for riveting reading.”—School Library Journal

Two girls from different worlds. One powerful bond.

At Keziah Christian Academy, a boarding school in the heart of Swaziland, sixteen-year-old Adele Joubert is one of the top girls. She...