While most companies gear down for the summer, that is not usually the case with publishers. This is the time when we frantically make last-minute editorial or design changes to our Fall titles, send them out to the printer and start executing the marketing plans that were developed months ago. At Annick, this is a particularly exciting summer as we look forward to some very special books. Every so often, a book comes along that makes you realize the power of the written word to transform the reader. Such is the case with The Bite of the Mango, a memoir written by Mariatu Kamara with Susan McClelland. The true story of Mariatu's experiences growing up in Sierra Leone, her imprisonment and torture at the hand of rebel soldiers, and her survival, is a striking example of a book that leaves the reader with a sense of wonderment at the strength of the human spirit. Mariatu today looks like any young, hip woman you might pass in the street. It is hard to imagine how she managed to pull together the pieces of her broken life after her horrendous experiences. Her courage, resilience and unflagging optimism are a welcome antidote to the cynicism that often creeps into books and movies aimed at young adults. We can't wait till the finished copies of The Bite of the Mango arrive from the printer so that we can share this remarkable story with the world.
