A “Amiga Cinzenta” is the latest children’s book by Pedro Chagas Freitas, using the metaphor of a less colorful friend to explain depression to both children and adults.
The book, published by Oficina do Livro, an imprint of Leya, is described as a “hug,” a “mirror,” and a way to provide “words to those who feel sadness,” helping to demystify and discuss difficult topics thoughtfully.
On social media, the author reminded that often “sadness invents ways to convince us it’s all we have,” something we must combat.
With the sensitivity that characterizes him, Pedro Chagas Freitas also describes the silent enemy that motivates this poignant story: “Depression is a beast. It’s everywhere. I wrote this story for everyone. For those who have felt that invisible weight, for those who feel it now, for those who pretend not to feel anything, even for those who never felt it. For the young ones, for the older ones. For children and adults to know who this character is, where it comes from, how it might be expelled. I didn’t want, I don’t want, to write a happiness manual. I hate manuals. I wanted to sketch the most tenebrous of descents. The slow fall into the deepest crevices. Sometimes, it’s there that someone is calling our name.”
Illustrated by Tiago M., the work arrives in bookstores on November 18.
Born in Guimarães in 1979, Pedro Chagas Freitas is a writer, journalist, creative writing trainer, and speaker. With nearly 40 books published, he is one of the most-read authors in Portugal and in countries like Italy, Brazil, and Mexico, with sales exceeding one million copies worldwide. Winner of the Young Creators Grant Prize from the National Culture Center in 2006, he is the founder of the National Creative Writing Championship. Besides writing, he is a speaker and author of the stand-up tragedy “Sim, Eu Empurro Portas que Dizem Puxe,” which has been touring the country. He created two creative writing games — A Fábrica da Escrita and Supergénio. Among many others, he published unforgettable books like “A Raridade Das Coisas Banais” and “Prometo Falhar.”
