Dear Martin

July 31, 2017
First-time author Stone explores an African-American student’s increasingly intense feelings of displacement in his predominantly white high school in a tense story that will grab readers’ attention and make them think. Written as a mixture of script-style dialogues, third-person narrative, and letters to Martin Luther King Jr., the novel explores high school senior Justyce McAllister’s confrontations with racism and his search for identity at a prestigious prep school, where he is one of only eight black students. After nearly getting arrested while trying to help his ex-girlfriend, who’s “stone drunk” and trying to drive herself home, Justyce becomes acutely aware of racial profiling and prejudice close to home. Pushed to the brink of despair when a close friend is shot by a white off-duty police officer, Justyce doesn’t know what to do with his anger. Though some characters are a bit one-dimensional (including Justyce’s debate partner/romantic interest and the interchangeable bros at his school), this hard-hitting book delivers a visceral portrait of a young man reckoning with the ugly, persistent violence of social injustice. Ages 14–up. Agent: Rena Rossner, Deborah Harris Agency.

September 1, 2017

Gr 9 Up-Justyce is an African American teen caught between two worlds. He knows that the education he's receiving at a private school will grant him more economic opportunities, however he begins to question the effects his private school education on his own identity. Some of his classmates believe that the racial pendulum has swung too far, giving African Americans an unfair advantage over their white counterparts. The kids he grew up with believe Justyce has assimilated too much and has forgotten where he came from. He questions his blackness, his relationship with his biracial girlfriend, and his attraction to his white debate partner Sarah Jane. Through a series of journal entries, Justyce attempts to figure out his place in the world by exploring the life of Dr. Martin Luther King. A violent altercation between a retired white police officer and his best friend causes Justyce to examine what it means to be an African American male in 2017. The length and pace of this well-written story make it a perfect read for reluctant and sophisticated readers alike. The main characters are well balanced and will resonate with teens. However, the voice of African American women is largely absent from the narrative. The characterization of Justyce's mother and his girlfriend are one-dimensional compared to some of the other protagonists. Still, this important work should be read alongside Jason Reynolds's and Brendan Kiely's All-American Boys and Kekla Magoon's How It Went Down. VERDICT An good choice for school and public libraries.-Desiree Thomas, Worthington Library, OH

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2017
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Perhaps a bright young man who is fourth in his graduating class, captain of the debate team, and on his way to an Ivy League school shouldn't have too many worries. But Justyce McAllister's grades have no influence on the police officer who handcuffs him while he's trying to help his inebriated ex-girlfriend. The African American teen is shocked and angered when the officer is cleared of all charges, and so he turns to the written work of Martin Luther King Jr. for direction, inspiration, and therapy. He presents a simple question to the late civil rights leader: What would you do, Martin? After Justyce witnesses the fatal shooting of his best friend by an off-duty officer, and his name is negatively spread through the media, he begins to withdraw from friends and family, only finding solace in his teacher, new girlfriend, and his continued ruminative letter writing to Dr. King. Stone's debut confronts the reality of police brutality, misconduct, and fatal shootings in the U.S., using an authentic voice to accurately portray the struggle of self-exploration teens like Justyce experience every day. Teens, librarians, and teachers alike will find this book a godsend in assisting discussions about dealing with police, as well as the philosophical underpinnings of King's work. Vivid and powerful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

March 5, 2018
Actor Graham delivers a resonant performance of Stone’s debut YA novel, which explores the experiences of a black student in a predominantly white high school. Like other teens, Justyce is trying to understand who he is in an age of social media and social inequality. As one of a few African-Americans in an elite high school, he is already familiar with issues of race that permeate education, but an unprovoked run-in with the cops brings home just how different Justyce’s experiences are from those of his friends. Stone skillfully weaves recent events and statistics of the violence inflicted upon black men and boys by the police in the novel, which Graham underscores with subtle hints of emotion, emphasizing how teenage people of color must navigate a fundamentally different set of rules than white teenagers. But the highlight of the audiobook is the in the way Graham captures Justyce’s frustration and pain in a series of letters that he wrote to his historical role model, Martin Luther King Jr. Together, Stone and Graham deliver an intimate and raw audiobook that will linger in listeners’ minds. Ages 14–up.
A Crown hardcover.