Dear Martin (Dear Martin, #1)

by Nic Stone

"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

• ISBN10: 1101939524
• ISBN13: 9781101939529
• Publish Date: 4 September 2018 (first published 17 October 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Ember
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 240
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781101939529

Reviews

[Heather]

I managed to avoid finding out exactly what this book was about before listening to it.  I didn't even read the full blurb.  (I deleted the part I didn't read in the synopsis above.)  Not knowing what was going to happen let the emotional impact of the book hit me full force. 

This is an amazing and necessary book.  If any of you are thinking, "I read The Hate U Give, I don't need to read this one," get that out of your brain.  While the subject matter is similar, these books are very, very different.  Dear Martin depicts an attempt by an African-American teenager to move past an emotionally traumatizing incident with a police officer.  He finds that that is harder than he expects though as his eyes are opened to what is going on around him. 

I appreciated the way he struggles with different approaches to living in a racist society through his interactions with several adult African-American men in his life.  Each discusses his struggles and his way of surviving, allowing Justyce to try to choose the best options for him. 

The narration in this book was very well done by Dion Graham.  It is a short audiobook at just four and a half hours.  This is one that I will relisten to with my husband in the future. 

I don't want to say much more about the book.  If you don't already know the whole plot, I'd recommend just starting this story without finding out much more.  This is a hard-hitting book that will move you.  It is a must read for everyone.

 This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[layawaydragon]

Content Warning: Racism, Police Brutality, Blackface, Sexism, Toxic Masculinity,

Amazing. I love the audio version, the way he speaks and gets all quiet at times. I love how it included his letters to Martin, articles and news clippings. His last letter to Martin....

https://media.giphy.com/media/26n6PxXCcE7d1O7Go/giphy.gif

And if you can't understand after all that, I don't know what to fucking tell you.



Notes While Reading:
>>Police brutality off the bat , trying to help drunk ex-girlfriend from driving home drunk.
>>"hoe", "bro talk", sexist shit.
>>Oh damn! Same cop! No sympathy here...
>>Yay content warning from professor about the class discussion
>>PTSD is real
>>FUCK JARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>I love you SJ, but reel it back a bit.
>>"We'll never be seen as criminals before people." - real talk from SJ
>>Oh gods, they blackfaced MLK jr. in a school play.
>>LOL Mama.
>>Oh gods no. No no no no no no no
>>OH HELL FUCKING NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>Manny was sO hoping Justyce would pull out so he could too and not be the bad guy.
>>GOOD. FUCK BLAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>ooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo Justyce and SJ!!
>> "How was it suppose to come out?" lolol omfg I'm blushing, it's so embarrassing and adorable.
>>SJ apologized for speaking for him!!
>>lol only an hour and a half way. She knew that QUICK.
>>So adorable.
>>I love the awkward self doubt and third person stuff.
>>Fucking Jared. Fucking whining about affirmative action BS. Pouty whiny white boy don't know shit.
>>"sound like a girl with this gossipping shit" -ugh Justyce with the toxic masculinity upkeep.
>>Hmmmm, Manny scared of black women. Wish this was delved into more but...
>>"He probably shouldn't have because of *feelings*.
>>Awww YAY!!!!! lol SJ throwing away the cup lol
>>AWWWWWWWWWWW YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
>>FUCK BLAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>Poor Manny.
>>Oh fuck that "masta set you free" comment to Hell and back.
>>"Some people learn more from an undeserved pass than a punishment." - Interesting, Manny's dad.
>>Damn, cousin in jail.
>>Wow Martel, clever. Clever.
>>Awww the Freedmen's love him so much!!
>>Fuck, testifying is painful.
>> Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. But better than a walk....
>>GOOD! Again, I feel no fucking sympathy.
>>Wow Jared. Just....wow. Good on you Justyce.