Dear Martin

Title: Dear Martin

Author: Nic Stone

Published: October 17th, 2017

Pages: 210

Genre: YA, Contemporary Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers

Listened to on the Overdrive App

BUY ON AMAZON HERE

Goodreads Description: 

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 debut.

Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And 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.

Things I enjoyed about this book: 

This book hits your soul hard. Nic Stone’s book is similar to The Hate U Give (a must read). This is a book that makes you not only want to be a better person, but gives you the push to act. The characters were raw, and the situations were unfortunately too real.

The Things I Didn’t Enjoy: 

This might be a naive comment, but I also am pretty sheltered… I did feel like some of the police brutality and bias was overdone. I think there is definitely a problem, but in the book it might have been exaggerated.

MRS BIRDS WORDS REVIEW

Nic Stone deserves 5 out 5 bird feathers for this oh too real novel. I will never truly understand the life of Juystce or Manny. I’m a privileged white girl and it kills me that  there are girls and boys around the world who are living this nightmare because of the color of their skin. We may not have Jim Crow laws now, but it doesn’t mean we have broken down the barriers we need to. I love books like this because it sheds light on the bias that we do have whether we recognize it or not. Thank you Nic for writing a wonderful novel to help educate me and help me open my eyes to be more aware of my actions.

Parent’s Guide:

There is language, murder, and gangs discussed. However the message is worth it, in my opinion!

(C)LVB2017