#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WILLIAM C. MORRIS AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE’S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME After a traffic stop turns violent at the hands of the police, a young Black teen grapples with racism—and what it means for his future. Critically acclaimed author Nic Stone boldly tackles America’s troubled history with race relations in her gripping debut novel. “Raw and … gripping debut novel.
“Raw and gripping.” –JASON REYNOLDS, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You
Justyce 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 without cause.
When faced with injustice, 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 and a friend spark the fury of an off-duty cop. Words fly, shots are fired, and the boys get caught in the crosshairs. But in the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack.
”A must-read!” –ANGIE THOMAS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give
“Powerful, wrenching.” –JOHN GREEN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down
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In reading this book, it only shows what our world is like today with diversity and race. A true eye-opener and yet deep down we know a lot if not all of the scenarios in this story really do happen in our world. A must read for all ages.
Such a powerful story. Finished it in one day, can not recommend enough!
The Hate You Give with a male central character. Plus, Martin Luther King Jr. is an inspiration, and so it this book! I will be teaching this in my Multicultural Literature class next semester, can’t wait!
Spoiler Free Review
My tags for this Teen Fiction novel are:
Original / Refreshing / Easy to read / Reflective / Diverse Characters / Page-turner (absorbing listen)
Format Read: Unabridged Audiobook via LAPL loan
Narrated by: Dion Graham
Length: 4 hrs and 32 mins
Release date: 10-17-17
Publisher: Listening Library
Notable Book Awards: William C. Morris Debut Young Adult Award Finalist
Ratings
Story Rating: 5 stars!
It was so well narrated, and I liked author Nic Stone’s writing style a lot. Our teenage hero Justyce McAllister’s decision to start a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was my favorite style element hands down. I was immediately invested in Justyce’s personal and very reflective journey to find his answers about the current state of racial relations in the United States of America.
Performance – 5 stars!
Dion Graham’s vocal narrating style was perfect for this teen novel. I had zero complaints and wouldn’t hesitate to listen to another audiobook narrated by him.
Overall – 5 Bravo all around stars!
I can’t remember now which online platform recommended this novel to me (probably GoodReads), but I am so glad that my public library system had it available in Overdrive for me to gobble up with my ears. I look forward to reading more novels by this this new to me author.
Like THE HATE U GIVE, this book takes the reader inside the struggles of how a person of color manages day to day in our racist society. All white people need to be reading these books.
I cannot say enough wonderful things about this novel! Every novel review I have read was true. This book is a MUST READ!!!! I finished it in a night. Couldn’t put it down. This novel makes alot of connections to our current world discussing racism, social injustice and the other side of news/social media side. Stones did her research and used articles from recent events and took bits and pieces to make a relatable story line and it paid off. I smiled, laughed and cried while reading. The novel shows how others feel and think differently which is often not thought of or just pushed aside. Stone did a wonderful job at making connections to the real world and anyone from any background could make a connection to this novel!
Dear Martin really touched me deeply. And I think it’s a novel I could use with my students – because in Switzerland, a lot of them don’t think that racism is ‘as bad as all that’… And I believe it’s important to understand how differently people of color can feel in the US.
Well written, with a strong character as the hero, I cried when he despaired.
I LOVED “Dear Martin”!
Main character Justyce is a smart African American teen going to a predominantly white high-school. Things happen. At which point does a joke turn into racism? Is Jus too sensitive? Are policemen really out to get him just because he’s black? What’s their point of view?
I though this book did a terrific job of showing us how everyone is biased by their own culture and experience. The book is hard to put down and engaging. The characters are wonderful. The romance is sweet and engrossing. I loved how the book educated the reader without being in their face too much.
Some hard topics, made absolutely delectable and heart-wrenching.
Get all the feels; read it now!
Dear Martin by Nic Stone is a YA novel for our time. It deals with injustice and racial profiling but in the most personal manner. Stone used newspaper articles, and stories from real teens who have faced similar injustices. But, Nic Stone fills it out by a nuanced plot and characters as real as the people around you. Everyone is welcomed into Justyce’s story. This is a national bestseller. Free copies were distributed by the Warren County, KY library. Nic Stone will be here in October and I cannot wait to meet her. It is a short book but moves powerfully along to an ending that made me weep with joy and sorrow, and HOPE! I hope all Americans will read it because it shows a way forward and what we must finally deal with to complete the Long Road to Freedom. Some books are necessary. This is one of them. A brilliant achievement.
Although it’s young adult literature, it will get you thinking about if we have made enough gains in racial equality. Love the character’s attempt to connect and understand MLK’s teachings and the struggle to put it into practice.
it was amazing. major attention grabber
An important book for our time
Thought-provoking.
I think everyone should read this because it’s a great story and eye opening.
For such a short book, Dear Martin packs a PUNCH! Stone addresses so many issues ranging from parental/child relationships, interracial romance, socio-economic factors, gangs, education, law enforcement, legal proceedings, etc. She beautifully showcased racial arguments from various perspectives — allowing empathy over how our background affects our perspective. Without spoiling the main story line, I can say that Justyce (the main character) ultimately discovers that to be like Martin, he has to be himself. However, he realizes that he needs to figure out who he is and what HE believes before he can fulfill that goal.
THought provoking, ought to be required reading!