Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström Discusses & Signs Bitter Honey

MahoganyBooks and the DC Public Library are excited to welcom award winning travel journalist and author Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström for the debut of her latest fiction novel Bitter Honey. For fans of Lola's bestselling books In Every Mirror She's Black & Everything Is Not Enough, this book delves deep into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and delivers a warm, heartfelt story of love, forgiveness, and women finding their voices. Joined in conversation with Lola will be Lauren Francis-Sharma.

Grab ya sister, auntie or homegirl! You won't want to miss this amazing event!

A big thank you to our partners and co-hosts at the DC Public Library for your generous support of this event.

ABOUT THE BOOK: Bitter Honey

Spanning four decades and three continents, Bitter Honey is a story about a mother and daughter divided by long buried secrets, struggling to understand each other as they forge their own paths, from the internationally bestselling author of In Every Mirror She's Black.

1978: A scholarship draws Nancy from Gambia's warmth into Stockholm's frigid winter. When her friendship with charismatic scholar Lars blossoms into something more, she thinks she may have finally found her place. But there's more to Lars than his charming persona, and Nancy is about to discover the danger of being drawn into his world...

2006: Tina has had her taste of fame as Sweden's sweetheart pop princess, representing her country at Eurovision. But beneath her glittery façade, she's uncertain who she really is. Her mother, Nancy, seems desperate to keep the past under wraps, but will the unexpected appearance of Tina's father--a man she has long thought dead--help open the door to self-discovery?

Nancy just wants to protect her daughter from making the same mistakes she did, but Tina longs for the freedom to mess up, knowing her mother will always be there to support her. The two women love each other unconditionally, but can they learn to trust each other as well?

This poignant novel delves deep into the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters and delivers a warm, heartfelt story of love, forgiveness, and women finding their voices.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Nigerian-American Lolá Ákínmádé Åkerström is an award-winning travel writer, speaker, photographer, and author of the international bestseller In Every Mirror She’s Black and Everything Is Not Enough. She is based in Stockholm.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR: Lauren Francis-Sharma is the author of Casualties of Truth and Book of the Little Axe, a finalist for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award, and the critically acclaimed novel ’Til the Well Runs Dry. She was a MacDowell fellow and is the Assistant Director of Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference at Middlebury College. She resides near Washington, DC, with her family.

Event guidelines are subject to change.

• 6:30 PM - Doors Open | 7 PM Conversation Begins
• Non-refundable tickets, however transfers made be made.
• Face masks optional throughout event.
• Photographs may be taken during the event WITHOUT FLASH.
• For reasonable accommodations, please contact the Center for Accessibility at 202-727-2142 or DCPLaccess@dc.gov. For ASL or tactile interpretation, please allow at least seven (7) days notice.
• Please note, books not picked up at the event can be retrieved at our National Harbor location for two weeks after event day. Afterwhich, they will be donated to a local organization.
• Parking is limited. Ridesharing highly encouraged.

• Please tag us and use #mahoganybooks, #blackbooksmatter, and #bitterhoney on social media.
• Note: By entering the event premises, you waive all rights you may have to any claims for payment or royalties in connection with any photographs or videos taken.

--Let's have an amazing evening,

Derrick, Ramunda & The MahoganyBooks Team