Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe

Mahogany L Browne

New New
Book cover for Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe
Book cover for Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe

Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe

Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe

Mahogany L Browne

Member Benefits

  • 30% Off All Books - Savings that support storytellers, not stock prices.
  • Fight Book Bans - Every membership sends a book to LGBTQ+ youth in affected states.
Member Book Price
$1.00
Non-Member Book Price $19.99

An annual membership will be billed at $48/year.

Discount applies to first-time members only. Already a member? Log in here.
View full details

Description
In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon.

"[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic."
--Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author

Grief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection.

In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances:


  • Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality.
  • Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine.
  • Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents.
  • Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive.
  • A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children.

From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mahogany L. Browne is a Kennedy Center Next 50 fellow, writer, play-wright, organizer, and educator. Browne received fellowships from ALL ARTS, Arts for Justice, AIR Serenbe, Baldwin for the Arts, Cave Canem, Poets House, Mellon Research, Rauschenberg, and Wesleyan University. Browne's books include A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe, Vinyl Moon, Chlorine Sky (optioned for Steppenwolf Theatre), Black Girl Magic, and banned books Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice and Woke Baby. Browne's Chrome Valley tour was highlighted in Publishers Weekly and the New York Times. Founder of the diverse lit initia-tive Woke Baby Book Fair, Browne is the 2024 Paterson Poetry Prize winner. She is the inaugural poet in residence at the Lincoln Center and lives in Brooklyn, New York.
★ "Heavy, important, powerful and evergreen; remembers kids during the time when the world stopped." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "An emotionally impactful read." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "The book boasts memorable characters and beautiful writing--especially the poems. It is singularly relevant in its unsparing examination of the plague and its impact on young lives." --Booklist, starred review

★ "An essential purchase to explore grief associated with the pandemic; give to fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Elisabet Velasquez." --School Library Journal, starred review

"[An] intriguing and heartbreaking collection of stories and poems." --The Bulletin

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Pub date: 2025-03-11
Length: 160 pages

The Allstora Membership

Membership Perks:

  • Save 30% on all online store purchases
  • Exclusive access to author's content
  • You pay less, but authors still earn double

Membership Terms:

First Month: $0.00
Monthly price: $5.00
  • To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
  • One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.

WE LOVE IT