Dear Martin
"Powerful, wrenching.” –JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down
"Raw and gripping." –JASON REYNOLDS, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys
"A must-read!” –ANGIE THOMAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning #1 New York Times bestselling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.
Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.
Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.
"Vivid and powerful." -Booklist, Starred Review
"A visceral portrait of a young man reckoning with the ugly, persistent violence of social injustice." -Publishers Weekly
"Raw and gripping." –JASON REYNOLDS, New York Times bestselling coauthor of All American Boys
"A must-read!” –ANGIE THOMAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning #1 New York Times bestselling debut, a William C. Morris Award Finalist.
Justyce McAllister is a good kid, an honor student, and always there to help a friend—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates.
Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.
"Vivid and powerful." -Booklist, Starred Review
"A visceral portrait of a young man reckoning with the ugly, persistent violence of social injustice." -Publishers Weekly
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Readers say *Dear Martin* is a powerful, timely YA novel that thoughtfully explores systemic racism, racial profiling, and injustice through the eyes ...
*****Full review over at G. Jacks Writes (About Everything) . ******
I call this “my reaction” because it not only took me a bit to type up my review for the book itself, but also all of the thoughts, feelings and memories this book made me think of. Although this book left my mind and heart just all over the place, I truly loved it and I am grateful I was given the opportunity to read this ARC because it had such a huge affect on me and it is something that I look forward to sharing with my family and friends.
From the moment I started reading, I was able to connect with Justyce’s character—from his thoughts, concerns, fear and anxiousness. And his attempt at trying to make sense of himself and the rest of the world through a method inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. teachings following the fall out of his wrongful arrest. It was just all so real, raw, insightful and moving.
One of the many things I loved and appreciated about this book was the way Nic Stone keeps the narrative objective because it makes it so connectable to other readers, whether they are allies, individuals who have experienced some of the same situations Justyce has faced or others ignorant of the seriousness and dangers African-Americans and other POC face every day when it comes to racism.
I pondered if I wanted to focus on the situation regarding Justyce and his arrest as being the main focal points I discussed for this book, but in all honesty, it is so much more than racial profiling from authorities. The political, inaccurate and discriminatory stories spun by a lot of the media outlets and the prejudices of people—it all just hits home.
Which is why I really appreciate the way in which Nic Stone not only addresses the social issue and unjustly stereotype aspects of race in our society and the manner of objectivity that she keeps consistent throughout the narrative. It speaks to both POC readers and ally’s on the subject. Moreover, this book offers readers, particularly young adult readers, a clear and open perspective from multiple sides.
Whats more, it opens up a discussion for those who are ignorant or actively try to ignore the fact that the issues regarding race and profiling are still a major problem in our world. Even on those who fit into the category of Justyce’s best friend Manny who hung out with and was close to rich white boys that refused to take racism seriously.
Regardless, never speaking up about it keeps the cycle going and it is part of what has kept racism so systematically and socially embedded within our world. I don’t want to be on the side of that kind of normalization and I hope that if you took the time to look at this post and go pick up Dear Martin in October that you don’t either. Even if you weren’t able to connect to what I had to say, I encourage you to go pick up the book anyway. It is an incredible read and you won’t be able to put it down.
I call this “my reaction” because it not only took me a bit to type up my review for the book itself, but also all of the thoughts, feelings and memories this book made me think of. Although this book left my mind and heart just all over the place, I truly loved it and I am grateful I was given the opportunity to read this ARC because it had such a huge affect on me and it is something that I look forward to sharing with my family and friends.
From the moment I started reading, I was able to connect with Justyce’s character—from his thoughts, concerns, fear and anxiousness. And his attempt at trying to make sense of himself and the rest of the world through a method inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. teachings following the fall out of his wrongful arrest. It was just all so real, raw, insightful and moving.
One of the many things I loved and appreciated about this book was the way Nic Stone keeps the narrative objective because it makes it so connectable to other readers, whether they are allies, individuals who have experienced some of the same situations Justyce has faced or others ignorant of the seriousness and dangers African-Americans and other POC face every day when it comes to racism.
I pondered if I wanted to focus on the situation regarding Justyce and his arrest as being the main focal points I discussed for this book, but in all honesty, it is so much more than racial profiling from authorities. The political, inaccurate and discriminatory stories spun by a lot of the media outlets and the prejudices of people—it all just hits home.
Which is why I really appreciate the way in which Nic Stone not only addresses the social issue and unjustly stereotype aspects of race in our society and the manner of objectivity that she keeps consistent throughout the narrative. It speaks to both POC readers and ally’s on the subject. Moreover, this book offers readers, particularly young adult readers, a clear and open perspective from multiple sides.
Whats more, it opens up a discussion for those who are ignorant or actively try to ignore the fact that the issues regarding race and profiling are still a major problem in our world. Even on those who fit into the category of Justyce’s best friend Manny who hung out with and was close to rich white boys that refused to take racism seriously.
Regardless, never speaking up about it keeps the cycle going and it is part of what has kept racism so systematically and socially embedded within our world. I don’t want to be on the side of that kind of normalization and I hope that if you took the time to look at this post and go pick up Dear Martin in October that you don’t either. Even if you weren’t able to connect to what I had to say, I encourage you to go pick up the book anyway. It is an incredible read and you won’t be able to put it down.
Mic drop! Nic Stone is the master at keeping real and relevant. She holds back on punches in this YA novel and I appreciate that so much. Read this straight through and only wanted peace and quiet because I wanted to stay in the story. Starting her book Off One Out soon.
If it is possible to love a book dealing with these issues, then I loved this book! It is a quick read but brings up important issues like racial profiling, racial inequality, affirmative action, and legal injustice. Having the letters written to MLK mixed in with Justyce's story was a great combination. Definitely a must read!
The more books you read, the more perspectives you learn, the more empathy you gain. So many are close-minded to these real issues of prejudice and race, but still refuse to try and have the hard discussions out loud. To those readers, read this series.
I got to teach this book to a group of rising 7th and 8th graders this summer and it truly impacted all of us in a great way. It was a pleasure and an honor to teach this amazing book and reread alongside my kiddos!
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