We are thrilled to be revealing the cover and an excerpt for Charles A. Bush’s debut YA novel Every Variable of Us, which releases on March 1st 2022 from Flux Books! The novel follows Alexis Duncan, a Black high school basketball star in West Philadelphia, whose dreams of a college scholarship and pro career vanish when a house party ends in a gang shooting that shatters her leg.
Read on to discover the cover, synopsis, AND an excerpt! Every Variable of Us is available to pre-order from Flux and North Star Editions and to add to your Goodreads shelf!
Here’s what Charles had to say about the stunning cover, which comes from artist Kah Yangni!
“Every Variable of Us’s cover is a beautiful and powerful amalgamation of Black and queer pride, one that champions the continued need for representation and diverse storytelling. The novel’s unique cover echoes the diverse themes that make up its heart-wrenching story.
From the bold and breathtaking colors that mimic the bisexual flag, representing our protagonist Alexis, to the mural art style that is such an intrinsic part of the inner-city of Philadelphia where the novel is set. All the way down to the intricate details of Aamani’s dupatta and the cover artist themselves being Black and part of the LGBTQIA+ community and residing in Philadelphia . . . just like Alexis, just like the author.
It’s clear this exquisite cover owns its Philadelphia roots, while being drenched with Black queer pride and a heavy dose of Black Girl Magic. If there’s ever been a cover that can be summed up with the word, “Yaasss!” It’s Every Variable of Us!”
SYNOPSIS
After Philly teenager Alexis Duncan is injured in a gang shooting, her dreams of a college scholarship and pro basketball career vanish in an instant. To avoid becoming another Black teen trapped in her poverty-stricken neighborhood, she shifts her focus to the school’s STEM team, a group of nerds seeking their own college scholarships.
Academics have never been her thing, but Alexis is freshly motivated by Aamani Chakrabarti, the new Indian student who becomes her mentor (and crush?). Alexis begins to see herself as so much more than an athlete. But just as her future starts to reform, Alexis’s own doubts and old loyalties pull her back into harm’s way.
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Charles A. Bush was raised in Philadelphia, and attended Cabrini University before honing his craft at the University of Oxford. In addition to writing young-adult novels, he played professional basketball overseas, spends far too much time obsessing over all things Marvel, has long run out of places to store his mountains of books, and dreams of someday debating literature with Rory Gilmore. Every Variable of Us is his first novel. You can follow him on Instagram, Twitter, and Goodreads.
