An NPR Best Book of the Year * The stunning sequel to the critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. An incarcerated teen writes letters to his best friend about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system.An unflinching look into the tragically flawed practices and silenced voices in the American juvenile justice system.Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce … in the American juvenile justice system.
Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center.
Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce–the protagonist of Dear Martin–Quan’s story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there’s a dead cop and a weapon with Quan’s prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.
“A powerful, raw, must-read told through the lens of a Black boy ensnared by our broken criminal justice system.” -Kirkus, Starred Review
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Another amazingly relevant novel by Nic Stone. I’m kind of upset with myself for waiting so long to read these.
Obvious from the title, there is a return appearance of Justyce, but the story isn’t about him. It’s about Quan and how his life is affected due to the circumstances that life has thrown him. It’s a very different story from Justyce’s, and yet you can see how the environmental factors in a person’s life can determine the outcome if we are not careful. This book also shows how family can play a role in these things. If Quan’s father had been around, or if his mother had not gotten together with that guy, or even if his Aunt had paid more attention to her sister things might have gone differently for Quan.
I would really like to commend this author on her afterward as well. I love how honest she was about the true stories that led to this book, as well as the things she changed in the name of fiction. If you liked Dear Martin you’re going to truly enjoy Dear Justyce.
Read Dear Martin so had to read this one. Uncomfortable for those who aren’t used to living the life–but that’s IMPORTANT! It should be uncomfortable! We need to open our eyes to get outside our immediate circle. Things need to change, and we need to MAKE the change. Thank you, Nic Stone, for writing the tough stuff.
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone is a follow up to her 2017 debut Dear Martin. Justice is back as a secondary character to Quan, the young man at the center of this story. If you haven’t read Dear Martin, you should. If you like audiobooks, it’s one of the best I’ve ever listened to.
How can two boys from the same neighborhood end up on such divergent paths? How much does your upbringing affect your choices? How does being a young African-American boy growing up in a country whose legal system is against you from the start fare compared to a young white boy who also gets in to trouble with the law?
Nic Stone gives readers a window in to these questions, and many more, with this incredible story. Quan is locked up again, this time facing a murder charge, when he begins exchanging letters with Justyce, who is now in his freshman year at Yale University. Quan considers the differences in where their lives have led them based on the choices they both made, and on the fact that too often the “choices” available to African-American boys and men aren’t really choices at all. Through their letters and Quan’s retelling of what his childhood was like from a young age up until his current incarceration, readers get a sense of just how much the social, economic, and educational limits placed on children inform their later lives.
I cannot relate to this story as a 40 year old white woman, but I can certainly feel sympathy and get a sense of empathy for Quan’s story. I was thinking about many of my current and former students as I read this book, so much so that I had to take breaks in my reading to process my thoughts and feelings. It made me ponder ways I can do more and continue to check in with these young men as they navigate circumstances similar to those Quan had to face.
If you’re an educator looking for a jumping off point to talk about systemic racism, social justice, the school-to-prison pipeline, and other very real, very current race issues in America, I cannot recommend this book and its predecessor highly enough. Some of your students will be intimately familiar with the stories told, and seeing THEIR lives and stories on the page, knowing that others have experienced what they are going through, can be immensely powerful and helpful. Students who don’t know what it’s like to be profiled, looked down on, or treated as less than, can get a teenagers perspective of how that feels and begin the process of understanding their own privilege and developing sympathy and empathy for their peers.
I rarely give books a 5 star rating, because there aren’t a lot of books that truly blow me away, make me really stop and think, or linger long after the final page is read, but Dear Justyce is absolutely one of those stories. Do yourself a favor and read it, share it, and talk about it.
This is the sequel to Dear Martin and follows Quan through his younger years to present day where he is incarcerated. This could be read as a stand-alone but I think reading both gives you the full impact. Don’t let the fact that these are young adult novels fool you, they are extremely hard hitting and cover a wide range of issues in society today – racism, poverty, violence, school to prison pipeline – to name a few. I will be buying both books for my kids to read when they are a little older.
I’ve been looking forward to this story and it isn’t disappoint. It does a great job of tearing out your heart and putting it back together.
I loved Dear Martin, but this follow up was like punch to the gut. It’s amazing to see how Quan’s life diverges so drastically from Justyce’s. It reminds me of so many students that I have encountered who don’t have the support and love they need at home and end up seeking it out from others. The horror of how realistic Quan’s situation is is combated with the hope that Stone infuses throughout the narrative. This is a book that everyone should read.
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: 260
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: 09/29/2020
: (5 stars)
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This is the sequel to Dear Martin. I was very excited to start reading this book.
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: This book follows Quan from Dear Martin. While reading this book, I had a lot of memories from back home in Maryland. I knew a lot of people like Quan who had it rough in Baltimore and had run ins with the law.
The writing in this book was so raw and full of emotion. Both Dear Martin, and Dear Justyce were powerful novels that were perfect for the time period that we live in. Nic Stone wrote a novel that many people can relate to. Both of these books have shaken me to my core and opened my eyes to things I haven’t seen a lot. I recommend everyone to read Dear Martin and Dear Justyce because it will definitely change your thoughts on humanity.