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Bitter Over Sweet
Hawaiian native Tita works to escape a vicious cycle of poverty and abuse, only to realize along the way that life can not only be better, it can be whatever she wants it to be...
Take a deep dive into the lives of real Hawaiians as we follow Tita and other native women living and struggling against abuse and despair in a world controlled by tourism' s long tail.
These stories of resilience offer readers a glimpse behind the bird-of-paradise curtains and a look at what' s not in the travel magazines.
What is it like to live day in and day out in a place that everyone else considers paradise? To live within America but not be considered American enough?
Bitter Over Sweet gifts us a rare, authentic indigenous voice speaking about these often misunderstood islands. It' s Night of the Living Rez meets Lilo and Stitch.
"A stunning collection. I'm a sucker for flash, for voice-y lit, for the unexpected, for the problematic, for Brown girls, for pop culture, and for playing with form, and Llanes Brownlee brings this all together beautifully in Bitter over Sweet. It's a feat of fresh style, intricate language, imagination, grit, and so much heart."
—DEESHA PHILYAW, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
Take a deep dive into the lives of real Hawaiians as we follow Tita and other native women living and struggling against abuse and despair in a world controlled by tourism' s long tail.
These stories of resilience offer readers a glimpse behind the bird-of-paradise curtains and a look at what' s not in the travel magazines.
What is it like to live day in and day out in a place that everyone else considers paradise? To live within America but not be considered American enough?
Bitter Over Sweet gifts us a rare, authentic indigenous voice speaking about these often misunderstood islands. It' s Night of the Living Rez meets Lilo and Stitch.
"A stunning collection. I'm a sucker for flash, for voice-y lit, for the unexpected, for the problematic, for Brown girls, for pop culture, and for playing with form, and Llanes Brownlee brings this all together beautifully in Bitter over Sweet. It's a feat of fresh style, intricate language, imagination, grit, and so much heart."
—DEESHA PHILYAW, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
142 pages, Paperback
Published November 4, 2025
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 24, 2025
What a joy it is to explore the world of Tita and her family within one stunning collection of flash. Melissa Llanes Brownlee brings together works of flash that balance the familiarity of everyday family struggles with the clash of Hawaiian cultural identity. It mirrors an immigrant's journey but in Tita's case, they are 100% American in a state where "She doesn't want to be their good little Hawaiian."
You feel Tita's struggle to meet the expectations and ideals about weight or image that should never have been enforced on a young girl. Each flash shines, and together they bring to life a lifetime of lived experiences that shape a world with a depth beyond sandy beaches and vacation vibes.
You feel Tita's struggle to meet the expectations and ideals about weight or image that should never have been enforced on a young girl. Each flash shines, and together they bring to life a lifetime of lived experiences that shape a world with a depth beyond sandy beaches and vacation vibes.
Displaying 1 of 1 review