Brandy Colbert
The Revolution of Birdie Randolph
Featured in the Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best Books 2019 List
Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Nicola Yoon comes a novel about first love and secrets from Stonewall Book award winner Brandy Colbert.
Dove "Birdie" Randolph works hard to be the perfect daughter and follow the path her parents have laid out for her: she quit playing her beloved soccer, she keeps her nose buried in textbooks, and she's on track to finish high school at the top of her class. But then Birdie falls hard for Booker, a sweet boy with a troubled past... whom she knows her parents will never approve of.
When her estranged aunt Carlene returns to Chicago and moves into their apartment above the family's hair salon, Birdie notices the tension building at home. Carlene is sweet, friendly, and open-minded—she's also spent decades in and out of treatment facilities for substance abuse. As Birdie becomes closer to both Booker and Carlene, she yearns to spread her wings. But when long-buried secrets rise to the surface, everything she's known to be true is turned upside down.
Brandy Colbert is the critically acclaimed author of Pointe, Finding Yvonne, and Stonewall Award winner Little & Lion. Born and raised in Springfield, Missouri, she now lives and writes in Los Angeles.
Audio Rights
AvailableThe audio rights are handled by Little, Brown & Company.
Film Rights
AvailableContact Tina Dubois for more information
Roxane Edouard manages the translation rights for The Revolution of Birdie Randolph
Colbert pens an emotionally gripping tale about family and young love and how they can be your entire world while still being worlds apart. The treatment of topics such as the impact of addiction, racial profiling and discrimination, and sexuality (Mimi and Laz are queer) is skillful and will resonate. Moving and memorable.
Full Review
This thoughtful coming-of-age story will appeal to any teen yearning to wrest some independence from overprotective parents. Also appealing is the realistic variety of Dove’s friends. They represent multiple ethnicities—like Dove’s Mexican-American Black bestie Laz—multiple sexualities—including gay and asexual—and multiple socioeconomic levels, from comfortably-off Dove to struggling Booker.
Full Review
Colbert delivers another poignant coming-of-age tale in her newest novel [...] Empowering and empathetic.
This book deals with many topics—teen sexual experiences, alcohol, marijuana, need for counseling for grieving teens, racial injustice, gay and asexual teens—all of which is handled in a sensitive manner...The book may actually help struggling teens realize that they are not alone in whatever hardships they may face.
Full Review
Brandy Colbert’s slow-burn The Revolution of Birdie Randolph offers a welcome take on the coming of age narrative... This engaging but sensitive exploration of how addiction impacts families and relationships is both touching and uplifting. Colbert thoughtfully delves into the complexities of working toward sobriety and the strain it puts on those who must act as a support system.
Entertainment Weekly
...this thrilling tale of first love explores what it means to be held to an impossible standard and still learn to live an authentic life.
Vivid dialogue and rich descriptions... The story raises nuanced questions about how much we are shaped by our parents and how much by our own choices, just as Birdie is taking steps to craft her own ideas about her future.
Full Review
