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DEAR MARTIN

by Nic Stone ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 17, 2017

Though constrained, the work nevertheless stands apart in a literature that too often finds it hard to look hard truths in...

In this roller-coaster ride of a debut, the author summons the popular legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. to respond to the recent tragic violence befalling unarmed black men and boys.

Seventeen-year-old black high school senior Justyce McAllister, a full-scholarship student at the virtually all-white Braselton Prep, is the focus. After a bloody run-in with the police when they take his good deed for malice, Justyce seeks meaning in a series of letters with his “homie” Dr. King. He writes, “I thought if I made sure to be an upstanding member of society, I’d be exempt from the stuff THOSE black guys deal with, you know?” While he’s ranked fourth in his graduating class and well-positioned for the Ivy League, Justyce is coming to terms with the fact that there’s not as much that separates him from “THOSE black guys” as he’d like to believe. Despite this, Stone seems to position Justyce and his best friend as the decidedly well-mannered black children who are deserving of readers’ sympathies. They are not those gangsters that can be found in Justyce’s neighborhood. There’s nuance to be found for sure, but not enough to upset the dominant narrative. What if they weren’t the successful kids? While the novel intentionally leaves more questions than it attempts to answer, there are layers that still remain between the lines.

Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-101-93949-9

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: Aug. 6, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

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IF HE HAD BEEN WITH ME

by Laura Nowlin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2013

There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.

The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.

Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.

Pub Date: April 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5

Page Count: 336

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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A GOOD GIRL'S GUIDE TO MURDER

From the good girl's guide to murder series , vol. 1.

by Holly Jackson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 4, 2020

A treat for mystery readers who enjoy being kept in suspense.

Everyone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago—except Pippa Fitz-Amobi.

Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood; he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. The original investigation concluded with most of the evidence pointing to Sal, who was found dead in the woods, apparently by suicide. Andie’s body was never recovered, and Sal was assumed by most to be guilty of abduction and murder. Unable to ignore the gaps in the case, Pip sets out to prove Sal’s innocence, beginning with interviewing his younger brother, Ravi. With his help, Pip digs deeper, unveiling unsavory facts about Andie and the real reason Sal’s friends couldn’t provide him with an alibi. But someone is watching, and Pip may be in more danger than she realizes. Pip’s sleuthing is both impressive and accessible. Online articles about the case and interview transcripts are provided throughout, and Pip’s capstone logs offer insights into her thought processes as new evidence and suspects arise. Jackson’s debut is well-executed and surprises readers with a connective web of interesting characters and motives. Pip and Andie are white, and Sal is of Indian descent.

Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-9848-9636-0

Page Count: 400

Publisher: Delacorte

Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT MYSTERY & THRILLER | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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Publisher’s description

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.

Amanda’s thoughts

This book is a powerful and incredibly nuanced look at racism, police brutality, privilege, profiling, and so much more. The thing I kept writing in my notes was “it’s all so very complicated.” And, of course, it IS—you don’t need to know anything about the plot specifics to look at the list of topics it touches on to know it’s complicated. But Justyce’s thoughts, his experiences, the moves he makes/considers/rejects are all so VERY complex. I was completely wrapped up in this story, which I read in one sitting. There is not just one “incident” in this book. Justyce is handcuffed and assaulted by a cop when he’s seen helping his drunk ex-girlfriend into her car in the middle of the night. He’s seen an endless stream of stories in the news about unarmed black kids wrongfully arrested and/or killed, but he never thought it would happen to him. As Justyce says, he’s not “threatening” like some of the kids he’s seen on the news can be/look (his thoughts, not mine). It’s an eye-opening experience, one that prompts him to begin writing letters to Dr. King as he tries to work out his thoughts and works to begin to really see more of what is going on all around him.

There are other incidents that change the way Justyce sees things: his best friend Manny’s cousin, Quan, is charged with murdering a cop. His classmate Jared (and others, but Jared is the worst) spouts off endlessly about how color-blind America is and how everyone here is equal. There are intense classroom conversations about race, police, equality, and privilege that lead Justyce to some new thoughts and to see his peers in different lights. Justyce seeks solutions and ways to handle things like classmates seeing nothing wrong with wearing blackface, dressing up as KKK members for Halloween, and completely being oblivious to their own privilege. Justyce grapples with the trauma of his profiling arrest through all of this—it’s never far from his mind. His best times are with Manny or with Sarah-Jane, who is Jewish and his debate partner (and who he is totally crushing on—but, like everything else, that’s complicated).

The story really ramps up when, partway through, Manny and Justyce encounter an angry, racist, off-duty cop while blaring their music at a stoplight. What happens here, and after, is heartbreaking, profoundly moving, and often incredibly infuriating. This stunning debut is captivating, raw, and immensely readable. I would love to see this used in classrooms or book clubs and hear the conversations it would generate. This important and thoughtful look at racism, and many issues stemming from and surrounding racism, should be in all teen collections. A must-read. I can’t wait to see what else Nic Stone writes.

ISBN-13: 9781101939499 Publisher: Random House Children’s Books Publication date: 10/17/2017

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Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Dear martin nic stone crown books for young readers published on october 17, 2017, amazon | barnes & noble | goodreads, about dear martin.

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.

Okay, wow. I liked this book so much. I wondered a little bit at the beginning if it would be a lot like THE HATE U GIVE , which I also liked and which had some similar elements. (Kid from a lower income neighborhood going to a private school who has experiences with police brutality, racism and gang violence, even an interracial relationship and how difficult that is for a family member.) And all those elements definitely play a role in this story, but it still felt like a completely different book in the way the story was told.

I loved that Jus writes letters to Dr. King. What a cool way to connect the Civil Rights movement to a present-day story and situation. I also felt like the story captured some of the complexity of a community facing issues like this. While this is Justyce’s story, we also see so many of the other characters respond to what’s happening in striking ways—sometimes because they’re so emotional and other times because they simply aren’t.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 15 up.

Cultural Elements Justyce and his best friend Manny are black and go to a mostly white school. Justyce’s close friend and debate partner is Jewish. Jus writes letters to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Profanity/Crude Language Content Extreme profanity used somewhat frequently. It was sporadic enough that I’d sometimes forget it was in the story. Often used in anger. Some racial epithets also used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content Jus makes vague mention of experiences with his past girlfriend. His best friend reminds him about an incident in which he caught a girlfriend cheating on him (he references Jus finding her in a compromising position).

Spiritual Content During a funeral, Jus thinks about his friend’s beliefs and how they contrast what the preacher is saying about living on in Heaven. His friend didn’t believe in God.

Violent Content Brief descriptions of violence and racial epithets. A couple scenes show or reference one kid punching another. Usually those moments are choppy and out of focus. Another scene shows a man shooting two kids. News stories and conversations reference other shootings.

Drug Content Jus drinks alcohol twice.

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Book Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

I read this book the week before BookCon a few months, so I’m excited to finally review it because I loved it so much. After this review I have another YA review that was actually a NetGalley ARC, then I have two more travel narratives from the 18th century (both non-fiction), and then I’m finally back to reading. Technically I haven’t finished reading the next three books I plan to review, so I have some more reading, but I’m still excited to get my hands on something new after that. Here we go! ♥︎

All I can think now is “How different would things have gone had I not been a black guy?” I know initially the cop could only go by what he saw (which prolly did seem a little sketchy), but I’ve never had my character challenged like that before. Last night changed me. I don’t wanna walk around all pissed off and looking for problems, but I know I can’t continue to pretend nothing’s wrong. Yeah, there are no more “colored” water fountains, and it’s supposed to be illegal to discriminate, but if I can be forced to sit on the concrete in too-tight cuffs when I’ve done nothing wrong, it’s clear there’s an issue. That things aren’t as equal as folks say they are. I need to pay more attention, Martin. Start really seeing stuff and writing it down. Figure out what to do with it. That’s why I’m writing to you. You faced way worse shi—I mean stuff than sitting in handcuffs for a few hours, but you stuck to your guns… Well, your lack thereof, actually.

“I’ve been tellin’ you since you were small that you gotta make a place for yourself in this world,” she said. “You thought I was playin’?” I sighed again. “You ever consider that maybe you not supposed to ‘fit’? People who make history rarely do.”

So I picked up this book because I wanted to meet an author at BookCon (whose tickets weren’t sold out), and I came across Nic Stone—and I had read The Hate U Give earlier in the year, and Dear Martin covers the same topic, in a different way. It revolves around a black teenager named Justyce, who is one of the only people of colour at his rich boarding school. After a racist encounter with a police officer (which ended up with Justyce on the ground in handcuffs), he begins writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to cope with police brutality. Then a bunch of other things happen but I don’t want to spoil too much, obviously. But I loved it so much, so of course I finished it before BookCon, and I was so glad I picked to meet Nic Stone, because this book was incredible and raw and important in every single way. If you want to skip to the end just to know my final thoughts, feel free to do so!

“You can’t change how other people think and act, but you’re in full control of you . When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is this: If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be?”

Ah, where to begin. There’s just so much to say about this book without wanting to go off on a tangent. Well I will say this—there were many unexpected twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, and the way the book was set up, I just, wow. The book is divided into two parts for a reason, and the events that happen just before part two are completely unexpected. You think the book is going to be about Justyce’s way of healing from his encounter with police brutality, then there’s a 180 degree spin and you don’t know what to do or feel or think next. Which again, is the point that was trying to be made about police brutality (I think, correct me if I’m wrong)—young black kids are just out there living their lives, and the next thing they know is they’re dead. Their world, and their world around them is altered forever without warning or even knowing it’s going to happen. It’s a brutal wake up call, and it’s one of the many reasons why I truly believe in order to become better allies, white people have to read books like these, no matter how ‘uncomfortable’ they may be. Everyone has to read these stories, if we want to put police brutality to an end, and it must come to an end.

Anyway, I think the plot’s progression throughout this story was very real, and it was one of the things that makes this story so brilliantly written. I think had all the events just happened at the beginning or even outside of the novel, it wouldn’t have as deep of an impact as it does, so absolute kudos to Nic Stone for that.

SJ: Sorry, Doc. As I was saying, my great-grandparents immigrated to this country from Poland after narrowly escaping Chelmno. Jared: What? SJ: It was a Nazi death camp. And you just proved my point again. You’d spew a lot less asininity if you were willing to see beyond the eighteenth hole of your country club golf course.

I think my personal favourite part about the book was the characters and the various journeys they went through to get to where they were by the end. Of course there’s Justyce, the focal point of the book, and the most important part. By the end of his letter writing to Dr. King, he’s unsure of where to go next, but you see how far he’s come since before he even encountered the police. I think he’s very brave, a complex and really well rounded character, and his development I was subtle but so moving and powerful.

I wasn’t expecting Jared’s journey in the background, at all. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t like him, but I was surprised to see him learn just a little bit more by the end. Then it made me angry because if it takes that event to realize that he is privileged and he must work to be a good ally, then the world really truly hasn’t progressed or isn’t as good as white people love to make it out to be. But we need characters like Jared because there are so many Jareds out there in real life who don’t ever change, and we must try to find a way to make sure that all the Jareds in the world change so there are no more.

One of the things I wasn’t expecting in the best way possible was Sarah-Jane. I never thought there was a place for Jewish characters in any story regarding social justice (in any way, shape, or form), but then my jaw literally dropped to the floor when I found out. Furthermore, her relationship with Justyce is literally everything to me. At a time where the black and Jewish communities don’t really get along (which I can only imagine how awful it must be for black Jews), it is more imperative than ever that we team up together as allies, because as Dear Martin shows, we are so much more powerful together than apart. The reality is, both communities suffer from oppression from the same/similar hands, and are infused together in so many ways, so I think we must try harder to be better allies with each other. I know this wasn’t the main point of the story, but I cried because of how much I related to Sarah-Jane and her entire character (and yes, I told Nic Stone all this in person and she signed my copy of Dear Martin with the Star of David and I cried some more). As a bonus note, even she goes on a journey throughout the novel in terms of being a better ally, which I hope to be doing as well, everyday.

What I find most interesting reading through the letters: I can’t figure out what I was trying to accomplish. Yeah, I wanted to “be like Martin,” but to what end? I wasn’t trying to move mountains of injustice or fight for the equal rights of masses of people… So what exactly was I trying to achieve? I’ve been thinking about it for days and haven’t come up with an answer.

I’d also like to discuss Stone’s writing style, which I really enjoyed. I think one of the aspects that make people, especially young adults/teenagers, really want to read this book is Justyce’s way of coping by writing letters to Dr. King. The book alternates between his letters and third person. I really think this makes a big difference. I generally find that young adults or teenagers want to hear directly from voices of their potential peers (in a contemporary setting), and it makes the story a lot more real. Of course it’s real either way, but I think by reading through Justyce’s letters, there’s an extra emotional, raw aspect that wouldn’t be there. Justyce’s voice and his letters are really the key that brings this story together, and I really think this is what makes it so incredible and amazing.

But that’s the thing, Martin. I CAN’T not notice when someone is eyeing me like I’m less than, and at this point, my mind automatically goes to race. No clue what to do about that. Which brings me back to my original point: What was my goal with the Be Like Martin thing? Was I trying to get more respect? (Fail.) Was I trying to be “more acceptable”? (Fail.) Did I think it would keep me out of trouble? (Epic fail.) Really, what was the purpose? What I do know: I just went from being one of three black students in a class of 82 to one of…well, very, very few in a much larger number. Yeah, Garrett Tison is gone, but like Mr. Julian said, the world is full of people who will always see me as inferior.

Overall, I adored this book, but on a wider level, this book is so important to read, regardless of my personal opinion. I would 10000% recommend reading this book to literally anyone and everyone. Please read it. If you read my review? Read it. If you just skipped to the end to read my final thoughts? READ IT. That’s it. Those are my final thoughts. This book is super important and essential and so flawlessly done, it’s definitely going up on my favourites shelf.

If you’ve read Dear Martin , please let me know what you thought about the book in the comments below!

Rating: ★★★★★ | GoodReads

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Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, dear martin.

- Click here to read Dylan C.'s review.

Justyce McAllister is at the top of his class at Braselton Prep, a predominantly white school. Although Justyce comes from a rougher neighborhood, he has never had trouble fitting in at Braselton, and even when things get tough, he has his best friend, Manny, by his side.

Nic Stone wastes no time diving into the meat of DEAR MARTIN; in the very first chapter, Justyce is arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and quickly shown the injustices of the law. Justyce is an informed young man and the situation is not unheard of for him, but he is shocked that a straight-A, Yale-bound student like himself could be arrested. After all, he's nothing like the kids he grew up with!

His eyes newly opened to the world around him, Justyce begins to notice the microaggressions occurring around him --- the racist jokes his classmates make and the way they treat people of color. None of them are what one would call openly racist, but it is clear that there is something systemic at work that influences their choices and actions.

"Heartfelt, crisp and informative, Nic Stone's DEAR MARTIN is a truly magnificent and life-changing read."

Struggling to adapt to his new worldview, Justyce begins writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In these letters, he remarks on the similarities between his time period and MLK's, despite the many years that have passed. Poetic and lyrical, these letters are the heart of Stone's story, as they allow Justyce to ask the questions that a young African American male cannot ask out loud, lest he be targeted by others as a protester or rioter.

Although I enjoyed Justyce and his story, the true star of the novel, for me, was Manny, Justyce's best friend. Manny is one of the richest young men in school, but he is also African American, which presents an interesting dichotomy in his personality. He fits in better with his rich classmates than he does with the boys of Justyce's neighborhood, certainly, but he will never truly be "one of them."

Justyce and Manny's differences come to a head when they are out venting their frustrations with some loud music in Manny's car. The two cross paths with an off-duty white cop, shots ring out and one of them ends up dead. Of course, it is not the police officer who is put on trial, but the boys themselves --- were they hoodlums, thugs or teenage boys? Can an African American teen ever really be one or the other in the eyes of the racist media?

Heartfelt, crisp and informative, Nic Stone's DEAR MARTIN is a truly magnificent and life-changing read. With characters that read like real people and situations that ring painfully true, DEAR MARTIN is not only for young African American teens in need of a voice, but for their privileged counterparts, who have much to learn about the world around them. I trust that this book will become a classic in no time and that readers decades from now will read this book and wonder how the world could have turned so dark.

Nic Stone is an astute and careful writer, and I know that we will be seeing much more from her in the years to come.

Review #2 by Dylan C., Teen Board Member:

DEAR MARTIN follows Justyce McAllister, who is at the top of his class at Braselton Prep, and is set to go to Yale next fall. His whole future seems to come to a standing point when a police officer puts him in handcuffs. Even though he’s soon released without any charges, he can’t stop lingering on that very moment. When Justyce goes driving with Manny, his best friend, they come in contact with a off-duty white cop --- where shots are fired, and Justyce is the one who is under attack in the media fallout.

A lot of this book also consists of our main character, Justyce, writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I really did love the parallels between King’s life and Justyce’s life. While everything that happened with King seems like forever ago and like it shouldn’t be happening all of these years in the future, Justyce is writing to him and telling him about all of the similar things that happened in Martin’s time, that are still happening today. But I wasn’t a fan of the format. I’ve never really liked books told in a letter type of format, so I wasn’t able to connect with these portions of the book.

I’m so very disheartened to say that I didn’t love this book. DEAR MARTIN was my most anticipated book of the second half of the year, but unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with it for the life of me. Right from the start, the third person point of view rubbed me the wrong way. Maybe it’s because I haven’t read a lot of books in this point of view, but it took me out of the story, which led to me taking almost a week to read a 200 page book, and also it prevented me from connecting with Justyce because I, as a reader, wasn’t in his head.

Another thing about this book that I didn’t like was the dialogue. The dialogue itself wasn’t the problem at all, it was just how it was presented. The dialogue in this book is written in a script format. While this might not bother anyone else, I have never read a book written in this type of format, and so I found myself subconsciously skimming over the dialogue because I honestly just wanted to get it over with.

What I DID like was the story that Nic Stone was trying to tell. Even though this particular story is labeled as fiction, it doesn’t mean that situations like this have never happened in our society today. Stone does a great job of representing the African American community and the trials and tribulations that they go through on a day by day basis.

I realize that to those reading this review, it probably sounds like I hated this book, but I didn’t. It just wasn’t for me. I would still recommend this for fans of THE HATE U GIVE by Angie Thomas, ALL AMERICAN BOYS by Jason Reynolds and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER by Stephen Chbosky.

Reviewed by Audrey Slater and Dylan C., Teen Board Member on October 16, 2017

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Publication Date: September 4, 2018
Genres: Fiction , Young Adult 13+
Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Ember
ISBN-10: 1101939524
ISBN-13: 9781101939529

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Exploring Realities and Resilience: ‘Dear Martin’ Book Review

The book made me reflect on whether these incidents were based on true stories, as it was so authentic and true to life. The authors seemed well-researched and skillfully wove real-life experiences into the story.

Book Overview “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone is about a boy named Justice who lives in Atlanta. One night, he visits his ex-best friend who is drunk. During this encounter, a police officer approaches Justice and his ex-girlfriend, who is both white and Black. The officer is suspicious because it’s late at night, and Justice is talking to a white girl. Following the encounter, Justice is instructed to call someone, and he calls his mom and the girl’s parents. Despite his cooperation, the officer insists on handcuffing him, causing shock and confusion.

Evaluation One aspect of the book that I liked was how it depicted the reactions of various cops, especially when people were unjustly arrested or killed. The book demonstrated that not all cops agreed with the actions of their colleagues, and this felt realistic. While it was a tough choice not to arrest some individuals, it portrayed the harsh realities of life, including racism and the persistence of injustice.

Book Impression I genuinely enjoyed the book. It felt very realistic, even when tragic events occurred. The book made me reflect on whether these incidents were based on true stories, as it was so authentic and true to life. The authors seemed well-researched and skillfully wove real-life experiences into the story.

Characters Justice is the main character, and he is determined to fight for justice even when he ends up in challenging situations. Justice is 17 years old, soon to be 18, and aspires to attend college. He is a good student and remained resolute despite the hardships he encountered.

Another character is his best friend, who sadly did not escape arrest, unlike Justice. Justice’s relationship with his best friend was significant, and he tried to prevent many people, including her, from being arrested. They had been close friends since childhood.

Theme and Takeaways The book primarily addresses issues like racial violence and people getting killed. It encourages us to stand up and make a difference. Despite adversity, the story emphasizes resilience. The book illustrates how standing up and protesting against injustice can make a difference, even when the odds are stacked against you.

Target Audience The book is for everyone, but it appears to be primarily targeted at younger audiences. It seeks to inspire the next generation to take action and work against injustice.

Personal Connection I have seen instances of racism over the years, and even though I personally haven’t experienced it, it saddens me to see people subjected to discrimination and name-calling. For instance, as a child, someone once refused to play with me because of my race. It’s a hurtful experience that my mom still remembers. The book’s themes resonated with me because, as someone with a white mom, I’ve grown up in a diverse environment. While our generation has made strides against racism, it’s crucial to embrace diversity and accept everyone for who they are. Reading this book further emphasized the importance of unity and equality to me.

McMurphy, Bromden, Harding, and the men of the ward, feeling powerless, shift the system, making Nurse Ratched the victim of sexualization, objectification, and rape through their male-centric gaze.

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Utopia State of Mind

Book Reviews

Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Dear Martin is one of those books I can’t believe I didn’t pick up sooner. I heard all the hype and somehow it just slipped deeper into my TBR, but as I was scrolling Scribd I found it and listened and I am so remorseful I didn’t read this sooner.

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.

Dear Martin is powerful, gripping, and heart wrenching. Reeling from the loss of his best friend, Justyce is thrown headfirst into a journey where he must question his identity, how he handles the racism, and how he will move on from his best friend’s death. It’s a book that starts before the death of his best friend as Justyce writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King.

Dear Martin is gripping and incredibly necessary. It’s a shorter book than you might be expecting, but it brings up issues of dealing with the racism of our peers, within our family, and not letting it change who we are.

So many conversations from Dear Martin could have been ripped out of my past. While I’m not Black, I have heard so many conversations about affirmative action, color blindness, and stereotypes. I’m not at all equating our experiences, it was just a way I related and thought, “Yes, I’ve also had these conversations”.

It’s about racism, racial profiling, police brutality, and more. I feel like Dear Martin should be required reading because of the fantastic and insightful ways Stone brings up these issues, as well as the counter arguments.

I could not stop listening to Dear Martin, even when my heart ached for Justyce and that feeling of not fitting in anywhere and the immense rage of injustice.

Find Dear Martin on Goodreads , Amazon , Indiebound & The Book Depository .

What are books you heard a lot of hype about but haven’t picked up yet? I haven’t read any Holly Black either…

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by Erica Hensley, Mississippi Today August 13, 2018

Erica Hensley

Erica Hensley, a native of Atlanta, has been working as an investigative reporter focusing on public health for Mississippi Today since May 2018. She is a Knight Foundation fellow for our newsroom’s collaboration with local TV station WLBT and curates The Inform[H]er, our monthly women and girls’ newsletter. She is the 2019 recipient of the Doris O'Donnell Innovations in Investigative Journalism Fellowship. Erica received a bachelor’s in print journalism and political science from the University of Southern California Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism and a master’s in health and medical journalism from the University of Georgia Grady College for Journalism and Mass Communication.

What Would Martin Do?

Nic Stone’s novel—about a teen who writes letters to Dr. King — joins Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give amid a growing body of YA books exploring racial injustice and police brutality.

Angie Thomas ('The Hate U Give') and Nic Stone ('Dear Martin') are writing about racism and police brutality from a teen perspective.

“Be respectful; keep the anger in check; make sure the police can see your hands.”

It’s a checklist that many black parents impart to their sons long before these teenagers know they’ll need the advice. The limitations of this counsel become painfully apparent early in Nic Stone’s timely debut novel, Dear Martin. Doing all his mother told him doesn’t keep 17-year-old Justyce McAllister from being thrown to the ground and restrained in too-tight handcuffs by an overly aggressive white police officer. He is trying to help his drunk ex-girlfriend home from a party the summer before his senior year.

Justyce—a star scholarship student at the mostly white Braselton Preparatory Academy in Atlanta, who dreams of attending Yale the following year—doesn’t say much after the incident. Instead, he begins a series of letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., hoping that emulating the civil-rights leader will help him navigate the problems he sees around him. It’s from these letters that the novel derives its title. “I thought if I made sure to be an upstanding member of society, I’d be exempt from the stuff THOSE black guys deal with,” he writes the next day, describing a “thuggish” teenager who was killed by a police officer earlier in the summer. Justyce is grappling with the recognition that his achievements don’t separate him from the burdens of racism as much as he’d thought they would. “Really hard to swallow that I was wrong,” he continues.

Dear Martin belongs to a growing body of young-adult literature exploring racial injustice and police brutality from a teen perspective. 2015’s All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely followed a black high-school student beaten by a cop who mistakes him for a shoplifter. Jay Coles’s Tyler Johnson Was Here , about a boy whose twin brother is a victim of police brutality, will be published in the spring. Jewell Parker Rhodes’s forthcoming Ghost Boys tells the story of the ghost of a black boy who meets the spirit of Emmett Till after he is killed by law enforcement and enters the afterlife.

The Hate U Give Enters the Ranks of Great YA Novels

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The most well-known example, and perhaps the most relevant to Dear Martin , is Angie Thomas’s bestselling The Hate U Give , which was longlisted for a National Book Award this year. Thomas’s 16-year-old narrator, Starr, is the sole witness to a police shooting that kills her friend, and struggles to defend him as her world becomes increasingly chaotic leading up to her grand-jury testimony. Coming out of the crucible of the past few years—during which young people have been integral to pushing conversations about the unjustified killings of black men to the forefront—the novels capture the many ways that teens of color cope with prejudice, whether through activism or personal accountability or protest.

These authors weave examinations of race, class, and social justice into their stories of adolescence, and their characters are often left questioning everything they know. Dear Martin, for instance, features many of the hallmarks of high-school drama: fragmented cliques, awkward crushes, and shifting friendships. But from the first chapter, Stone, who worked in teen mentoring before writing the novel, sets her focus on graver concerns. A simple question— What would Martin do if he were alive?— guides the novel’s protagonist throughout his senior year, as he encounters everything from his white classmates’ racism (down to one guy dressing up as a Klansman for Halloween) to police profiling. And while Justyce is drawn to King’s teachings of resilience and nonviolence, he is put increasingly on edge as he observes the failures of the world around him.

The 10 first-person letters that are scattered throughout the book are a brief but penetrating look at the mind of a black teenage boy coping with feelings of defeat and isolation. Often, conversations about social injustice concentrate on its fatal consequences—and Justyce’s realization that his experience with the police could have gone even more awry resonates on that level. But Justyce’s letters to King also show a black teen grasping how little society values him in ways that are subtler and harder to detect. Being inside his head is like recognizing in real-time that teenage awkwardness is far from the only thing that a 17-year-old black student has to overcome.

The question of when and how to speak up for yourself or let things go recurs throughout Dear Martin . Justyce, for instance, is the captain of the school’s debate team, where his white classmates litigate the relevance of race in front of him. “America’s a pretty colorblind place,” one student claims, only to seemingly imply in the next breath that Justyce got into Yale because of affirmative action. Justyce is irritated by how reductive some of the arguments are, but he doesn’t say much. Elsewhere, too, Stone complicates the notion of the moral high ground: Was it wrong for Justyce to punch his fellow classmate for using the n-word? Was it a sign of restraint when he didn’t confront the student wearing the Klansman costume?

Those considerations become all the more fraught in a law-enforcement context. Stone began writing Dear Martin after the death of Jordan Davis, a 17-year-old who was fatally shot in 2012 when a Florida man fired several rounds into a car of teenagers during a dispute over loud rap music. This plays out in almost exactly the same way in her book, when an off-duty police officer pulls up next to Justyce and his friend Manny at a traffic light, starting an argument over the volume of their music that quickly escalates. The tragic end to that encounter (Manny is fatally shot and Justyce is wounded) and the aftermath (the press latches onto a “thug” narrative for Manny, the cop is not convicted of the felony murder charge) reads all too familiarly. Again, Justyce is reminded that both teens’ efforts to “do right” don’t, ultimately, shield them.

Recent headlines also echo through Thomas’s The Hate U Give , which was influenced by the fatal shooting of Oscar Grant, 22, by a police officer in Oakland in 2009. But the book’s protagonist, Starr, shares broader similarities to Justyce, too. For both, the emotional labor of code switching between their “two worlds”—the elite schools where they’re surrounded by privilege and the mostly black neighborhoods where they grew up—looms large in their lives. They also witness friends being killed by the police; the media frames their deceased friends irresponsibly; people in their whiter world refuse to acknowledge racism; they hide white significant others from their parents; and they find it difficult to resist the pull toward the neighborhoods they’ve tried to escape.

The two titles also encompass how different historical ideals about responding to racism and violence—activism, respectability, gang affiliation—remain relevant to the choices youth of color can make . In The Hate U Give, having to testify at a grand-jury trial leads Starr to protest, though it’s not the first she’s learned of alternative modes of activism. Long before she’s swept up in demonstrations, her father “Big Mav,” a former gang member, diligently taught Starr and her siblings about the Black Panthers. As Starr gets more vocal, she becomes less interested in maintaining the appearance of neat boundaries between her two lives. In Dear Martin , meanwhile, Justyce struggles with the respectability politics that his idol sometimes embodied. “In that moment when I thought I was dying, it hit me: Despite how good of a dude Martin was, they still killed him,” Justyce says to a teacher, reflecting on the shooting.

Dear Martin effectively dismantles the idea that any amount of personal success can shield someone from racism; what the novel fails to do, by focusing on Justyce’s elite education and bright future, is engage how King’s lessons hold up for people without those opportunities or motivation. An encounter Justyce has with Manny’s cousin Quan—whom he visits in prison, seeking an alternative salve to his letters—muddies the idealism that has carried him through most of the novel. At first, Justyce’s judgment is palpable. “Where I come from, resistance is existence, homie,” Quan says. But, when Justyce tells him he doesn’t buy it, Quan brings Justyce’s superiority complex to heel once again. “Last I checked, your way got you capped and Manny killed.” By positioning Quan’s choices as antithetical to Justyce’s, the scene suggests that the characters striving for goodness (even if that effort is futile) are the ones most deserving of the reader’s compassion.

Stone doesn’t wrap up Justyce’s trajectory neatly. He makes it to Yale, but in the final letter to Martin written from his college dorm room, he admits his discomfort with his new Ivy-League setting, and says he can’t really remember what the letters were supposed to achieve in the first place. While Stone describes herself as “ brazenly optimistic ,” the thought experiment in Dear Martin nonetheless acknowledges that the challenges of race are unending, and that how you deal with them depends a lot on who you are at the time.

During waves of national outrage over the deaths of unarmed black men, many people have reflexively asked , What would Dr. King do if he were alive today? To Stone or her character Justyce, it might be more relevant to ask if he’d think the same way that he did in the ’60s. The Black Lives Matter movement, which began partly in response to police brutality, is often compared to the civil-rights era. Even then, there was some friction among leaders who had different ideologies about the road to overcoming racism. At the same time that many young people are turning to different forms of activism to find their voices, authors of color are proving that there is an appetite for stories that elevate voices that are often systemically ignored. Nearly 50 years after King’s assassination, these novels force readers to grapple with the evolution of the struggle for civil rights , and collectively seem to question whether there ever was—or is—a single “right” way to attain equality at all.

About the Author

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Book review: “Dear Martin” is powerful and enthralling

Nic Stone’s enthralling debut novel, “Dear Martin,” gives a powerful and honest look at racism in America.

Edward Keen , Arts Editor | September 18, 2018

The original cover for “Dear Martin.”

“Dear Martin,” written by Nic Stone , is a brutally honest, captivating novel that expertly discusses and portrays racism in our society. Although the novel is Stone’s very first, I found myself thoroughly impressed by the way she simultaneously skirted through themes of racism and ethnic profiling while also creating raw, believable characters. Through a blend of classroom discussions, unsparing accounts of racism and well-crafted dialogue, Stone created a novel that not only gives off a clear message but also shows an accurate portrayal of the life of a black teenager in this day and age.

The book focuses on Justyce McAllister, who has just about everything going right in his life. He goes to an elite school, he’s a high-ranking member of the debate club and will attend Yale University. One day, an incident in which he is brutalized by a cop causes him to question racial issues in today’s society. He decides to start a project called “Dear Martin” where he writes a series of letters to the deceased Martin Luther King Jr . As he is tested by classmates and society, he only has one question: what would Martin do?

From the very beginning, Justyce proved himself to be an empathetic protagonist. There was a clear thought process behind every action he made, especially in times when he was subject to a great number of dilemmas over what choice he should make and how it would affect himself and those in his surroundings. He never refrained from speaking questions, and was direct with his thought processes. Despite any preconceived notions about his race, Justyce always did what he felt was not necessarily always the right choice but the best he could come up with.

In addition, the story’s further cast of characters are all well-written and thought out; each character feels like a real person from society, and they are all reflective of the attitudes people of all walks of life contain today. The dialogue and interactions between the novel’s characters felt natural, especially flowing well in the context of the story.

One character that stood out, in particular, was Manny. His character is practically the complete opposite of Justyce: he was born into a rich family, he generally refrained from hanging out with people of his own race and he didn’t bother questioning issues; he always complied when his peers made racist remarks. However, as the story progresses, his character opens his eyes to problems in today’s society and begins to see the injustices clearly. The immense character development made Manny one of the most memorable characters and shows that even the most reluctant people can change.

The book’s chapters alternate between detailing Justyce’s encounters and his letters written to Martin Luther King. I particularly enjoyed reading the letters for multiple reasons. For one, they were able to draw parallels between what is going on today and how it is not that different than what happened during MLK’s time . Even though years upon years have passed, the letters clearly show how the issues that should’ve been resolved a long time ago still occur time and time again today.

These letters also add to Justyce’s character. The story portion of the novel is written in a third-person perspective, so while you get to learn and understand Justyce, you can’t get too much of a feel of his inner thoughts and feelings that he doesn’t portray to others. The letters, however, fill in gaps in readers’ understanding.

The writing itself was generally another shining point. Stone’s writing style is straightforward and concise, describing everything as it is without overcomplicating the plot. It is written in a way that allows all kinds of audiences to understand it, even if you don’t consider yourself an avid reader. Whether she is writing a classroom discussion, or a gripping scene of slander, Stone handles all the content of the story in a thoughtful manner that never ceases to impress. The only complaint is the present-tense method in which she pens the non-letter scenes, which can disrupt the otherwise perfect flow of the story.

“Dear Martin” gives a thought-provoking look at society, and never shies away from demonstrating the issues that still exist today. I think that this book is a must-read for everyone because of its powerful messages and demonstrations; while the book specifically talks about racism in America, its themes can also apply to many other injustices in the world. With “Dear Martin,” Stone is looking to have a bright future in writing ahead of her in the literary field.

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Edward Keen is a senior and this is his second year on staff, where he is Arts Editor. In his free time, he enjoys reading.

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Social Justice Books

Critically reviewed selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

Dear Martin

Reviewed by zetta elliott.

When a friend asked me last fall to address the problems she found in Dear Martin , I hedged. Few people thanked me for pointing out the issues I had with All American Boys (though many were quick to praise Jason Reynolds for his “gracious” response), and I didn’t want to become known for “targeting” or “picking on” Black authors when so few of us manage to get published. But in the end, I decided something needed to be said because I’ve noticed a disturbing trend in publishing: novels by Black authors about police violence against Black boys where White girls take center stage.

I decided not to blog about The Truth of Right Now (2017) by Kara Lee Corthron when I read it last fall. Another friend urged me to read that YA novel; he found the writing superior to The Hate U Give (2017) and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t garnering equal attention. It’s a very different kind of story; a White girl attempts suicide after being raped and exploited by a White male teacher at her high school; when Lily meets Dari, an artistic Black boy with an abusive father and absent mother, her outlook on life changes and she invites him to move in with her and her mother.

Dari then becomes the object of desire for both mother and daughter, and the novel concludes with an ugly confrontation in the street with police. When Lily denies knowing Dari, he is brutalized by police and hospitalized. It was clear to me why this novel didn’t achieve the blockbuster status of THUG, and I wondered why such a strong writer would choose to tell this particular story. I support the right of artists to create freely, but with so few Black female YA authors getting published it’s frustrating to see several choosing to put the focus on Black boys and White girls. Where does that leave Black girls? Continue reading .

Publisher's Synopsis: "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 You 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 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

December 13, 2019 at 12:56 PM

i like this book soooooo muchhhhhh…

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Dear Martin Paperback – September 4, 2018

Book 1 of 2 Dear Martin Series
Print length 240 pages
Language English
Publisher Ember
Publication date September 4, 2018
Grade level 9 - 12
Reading age 14 - 17 years
Dimensions 5.56 x 0.56 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10 1101939524
ISBN-13 978-1101939529
Lexile measure HL720L
See all details

From the Publisher

Praise for dear martin.




Customer Reviews
Read all the books from Nic Stone!	A raw, captivating, and undeniably real bestselling debut.	The stunning sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin.	An honest and touching depiction of friendship, first love, and everything in between.	A must-read story about class, money, and how you make your own luck in the world.	Nic Stone's first middle-grade novel, a road-trip story through American race relations past and present.

Editorial Reviews

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ember; Reprint edition (September 4, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1101939524
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1101939529
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 14 - 17 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL720L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 9 - 12
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.56 x 0.56 x 8.25 inches
#12 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Social & Family Violence (Books)
#19 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Prejudice & Racism
#30 in Censorship & Politics

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About the author

Nic Stone was born and raised in a suburb of Atlanta, GA, and the only thing she loves more than an adventure is a good story about one. After graduating from Spelman College, she worked extensively in teen mentoring and lived in Israel for a few years before returning to the US to write full-time. Growing up with a wide range of cultures, religions, and backgrounds, Stone strives to bring these diverse voices and stories to her work.

You can find her goofing off and/or fangirling over her adorable little family on most social media platforms as @getnicced, or on her website: www.nicstone.info.

Customer reviews

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5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 14%
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5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 80% 14% 4% 1% 1% 1%

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Customers say

Customers find the story emotionally moving, heartbreaking, and relatable. They also say the characters are great, real, and uplifting. Readers describe the visual quality as insightful, stunning, and eye-opening. They describe the prose as readable, compelling, and thought-provoking. Opinions are mixed on the pacing, with some finding it raging and lively, while others say it's disappointing and boring.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the book highly readable, compelling, and eye-opening. They also appreciate the diction and realistic dialogue. Readers mention the book keeps the story flowing without any unnecessary drama. They say the letters are full of deep thoughts, memories, and emotions.

"...There is tragedy, brotherhood and enduring words in this book ." Read more

"...It weaves a twisted plot through truth and untruths...." Read more

"...Which makes for a curious dichotomy: the prose is imminently readable , but the topics discussed are heavy, all too real and sometimes hard to read...." Read more

"...knew the characters like you were in the story yourself, the well written dialogue , and (incredibly sad and unfortunate) turn of events that kept me..." Read more

Customers find the emotional content moving, relatable, and thought-provoking. They describe the book as heartbreakingly real and painfully relevant. Readers also appreciate the diction and realistic dialogue and inner thoughts. Overall, they say the book sparks empathy and understanding.

"...His biracial friend, Doc, one of his teachers gives great advice. There is tragedy , brotherhood and enduring words in this book." Read more

"...⠀Nic Stone has written a heartbreakingly real and painfully relevant novel about the plague of systematized racism and how it continually,..." Read more

"...call to the systemic racism in the US, Dear Martin is powerful, heart wrenching , tear jerking, most importantly, eye opening...." Read more

"...It was so realistic that I even searched whether this was based on a true story...." Read more

Customers find the book thought-provoking, disturbing, and raw. They say it has many points for discussion and teachable moments. Readers also appreciate the brilliant way it ties issues and themes of the past to now. Additionally, they say the book offers a unique approach to the issue of growing up black.

"...Dear Martin exemplifies many different perspectives and is eye opening . It weaves a twisted plot through truth and untruths...." Read more

"...is powerful, heart wrenching, tear jerking, most importantly, eye opening ...." Read more

"...It is such a powerful and important read with immense opportunities for discussion ...." Read more

"...And it still carries all the universal themes that kids can connect to - struggles with parents, romantic relationships/crushes, school, making..." Read more

Customers find the book stunning, eye-opening, and well-written. They appreciate the layout and the "Dear Martin" letter showing Justice's perspective. Readers also say the storyline is thoughtfully detailed and gives a good peek into what's going on in the world.

"...at times, the relevancy and approach to the storyline was thoughtfully detailed and eye opening...." Read more

"...I enjoyed the layout of this book and the "Dear Martin" letter showing Justiyce's perspective , emotions and heart. Well done there...." Read more

"...The letters to MLK are pure gold , I wish I could make everyone read at least those...." Read more

"...A raw, insightful look into how it feels when you're judged by the color of your skin and not your actions." Read more

Customers find the characters great and real. They say the book paints a realistic journey for the protagonist. Readers also appreciate the main character doesn't give up when faced with great challenges.

"...of uncomfortable things, and I like how many different perspectives it provides through its characters , some sympathetic, some very much not...." Read more

"...This is, ultimately, an uplifting story with characters who grow in the face of extreme circumstances and stereotypes that threaten to keep them..." Read more

"...But also, the story and characters are so real that there's pleasure in reading this book too.I cannot wait for Nic Stone's next book." Read more

"...There are so many great and real characters in this book. Jared jumps out as a very realistic young man blinded by his privilege...." Read more

Customers find the book suitable for young adults and adults. They also say it's beneficial for young readers.

"...The book flowed nicely and is a good young adult choice ...." Read more

" Excellent for middle and high school readers . It offers a unique approach to the issue of growing up Black and all that that entails." Read more

"...I have suggested this book to many- Appropriate for teens and adults ." Read more

"...Appreciated the real conversations on race. Good book for young adults and adults . Looking forward to the sequel!" Read more

Customers find the book raw, powerful, and stark. They also say it's a simple, honest book about messy, real topics.

"This is a simple, stark book about very messy , real topics. About keeping your sanity in an insane world...." Read more

"...Dear Martin is rougher, more raw , and in many ways more powerful...." Read more

"I am simply blown away. Dear Martin by Nic Stone is so raw and so powerful that no words will do it justice (no pun intended)...." Read more

"...A raw , insightful look into how it feels when you're judged by the color of your skin and not your actions." Read more

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book. Some find it raging, lively, and moving, while others say it's disappointing, boring, and a total cliche.

"...This book was so well written and so moving . You know a book is good when it's making you feel so many things...." Read more

"...of what really might happen to a young black man today, it was very disappointing in crucial ways...." Read more

"...It will make you cry. It will make your blood boil . It will open your eyes." Read more

"... It tries too hard and leaves the characters and issues on the surface level. The Hate you Give is a better example of this genre of books." Read more

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Dear justyce: dear martin, book 2.

Common Sense Says
Parents Say 1 Review
Kids Say 3 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

Moving story of teen caught in unfair justice system.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

A young boy witnesses the brutal arrest of his father during which his father is

"Bulls---tin'," "s--t," "duck-ass," "a--hole," "nigga," "damn," "douchenozzle,"

Teens vape marijuana because they've sworn off blunts as carcinogenic. Mention t

Mention of seeing a couple kiss. Several mentions of how attractive a woman is.

A couple of snack, clothing, and book/movie franchises establish character.

Any Positive Content?

Quan is a good role model for communication, integrity, perseverance, and self-c

The Author's Note mentions the "school-to-prison pipeline" and encourages reader

Everyone needs someone who believes in them no matter what. Everyone also needs

Violence & Scariness

A young boy witnesses the brutal arrest of his father during which his father is knocked unconscious by a police officer and the boy is grabbed, dragged, and squeezed so tightly he can't breathe. A confrontation with police ends in shots being fired and a police officer being killed. Domestic violence is implied from sounds of violence and bruises. A past incident is remembered of being thrown across a room into a table. Mention that a woman's boyfriend takes out his anger on her. A hazing ritual isn't narrated but mentions that the victim was left with a black eye, sprained wrist, and bruised ribs.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

"Bulls---tin'," "s--t," "duck-ass," "a--hole," "nigga," "damn," "douchenozzle," "douchewangle," "crap," "WASP," and graffiti that reads, "F-U-K-C."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Teens vape marijuana because they've sworn off blunts as carcinogenic. Mention that an 11-year-old was arrested for possession of alcohol. A teen has Jamaican ginger beer, not always alcoholic but mentions he starts to feel relaxed. Quan's father sells marijuana for a living. A neighbor says ganja is good for her glaucoma. A friend had a dime bag of marijuana. A character is mentioned holding a vape pen. Glass pipes and bowls are seen in a convenience store. A hypodermic needle is picked up in a playground. A criminal organization has a no-hard-drugs policy including "lean" (a drink mix that includes codeine), pills, and opioids.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mention of seeing a couple kiss. Several mentions of how attractive a woman is. Mention of seeing "two dudes crazy in love" and getting used to the idea. Seeing a used condom in a playground is implied.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Positive role models.

Quan is a good role model for communication, integrity, perseverance, and self-control. From a young age he tries to cope with uncertainty and post-traumatic stress by staying focused on his siblings and schoolwork. When he reconnects with an old friend they write letters to each other and Quan is able to open up about his feelings. Justyce is a good role model for high academic achievement, for being a loyal and supportive friend, and for finding a practical way to make a real difference in Quan's life. There are plenty of negative role models, and it's very clear they're not examples to follow. Eventually Quan is helped by a team of people who believe him, believe in him, and care about what happens to him, and help the judicial system start working in Quan's favor. In terems of representation, the main characters are strong role models and positive representations of African Americans in different circumstances. A couple of characters are gay, and Quan has a positive experience staying with a same-sex couple of Black men.

Educational Value

The Author's Note mentions the "school-to-prison pipeline" and encourages readers to look it up. It also clarifies some differences in the way the legal system works in real life vs. the way it was depicted in the story. And it encourages readers to look for ways they can make a positive impact on somone who may be struggling. The story itself addresses lots of important issues surrounding the effects that lack of support and opportunity have on low-income families, and especially on Black children and young men.

Positive Messages

Everyone needs someone who believes in them no matter what. Everyone also needs positive role models who can offer guidance and demonstrate what can be achieved and what a happy, healthy life looks like. Children need guidance from people who have high expectations and push them to achieve what they don't think they can, or to see possibilities they don't know exist for themselves. The Author's Note tells readers that each one is important and has a lot to contribute no matter how they feel, and not to let anyone else convince them otherwise.

Parents need to know that Nic Stone 's Dear Justyce is a sequel to her popular Dear Martin . The story revolves around a couple of incidents of police brutality and excessive force that echo several real-life tragic deaths, so it might trigger powerful emotions in readers who reacted strongly to those. One involves a teen witnessing a hostile confrontation with police that ends in a shooting, and another involves an elementary-school-age boy who sees his father violently arrested and knocked unconscious. The boy himself is painfully dragged and squeezed until he can't breathe. Domestic violence is also a strong theme, with very little actually seen but scary noises and bruises and other injuries imply being beaten. Teens vape marijuana once or twice, a character's dad sells marijuana for a living. An adult gives a teen "Jamaican ginger brew" that's possibly alcoholic. Strong language includes "bulls---tin'," "s--t," "nigga," and "a--hole." Overall messages are positive but cautionary about what kinds of support people in distressed communities need in order to have hope and thrive. The main characters are strong role models and positive representations of African Americans in different circumstances.

Where to Read

Parent and kid reviews.

Parents say (1)
Kids say (3)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

DEAR JUSTYCE is the story of Quan, who ever since he was a little kid has tried so hard to keep it together under tough circumstances. He's good at math and loves to read, but the one teacher he has a real connection with goes on maternity leave, and suddenly it's like no one in school even notices him. He tries to protect his younger siblings from his mom's abusive boyfriend. He has a loving and close relationship with his father, but witnesses his father's violent arrest and doesn't see or hear from his father for many years afterward. As he becomes a teen, he starts making some poor choices, but really, what were his alternatives? While spending two years in a juvenile detention facility awaiting trial for murder, he strikes up a correspondence with Justyce, an old friend from the neighborhood who's now a freshman at Yale. Through writing to Justyce, working toward getting a high-school diploma, and getting into therapy for his panic attacks, Quan starts to feel again like he's seen, heard, and valued as a human being, and like he has something to contribute to this world. But with a long jail sentence an almost certainty, how can he hold on to hope?

Is It Any Good?

This moving sequel is a realistic and powerful look at what happens when hope for your future trickles away drop by drop, starting when you're just 9 years old. Like Dear Martin, Quan's story in Dear Justyce has fully believable characters coping with events and circumstances that feel ripped from the headlines. And the story's also told in letters, movie-script dialogue, and straightforward narration. But this time author Nic Stone takes an unblinking look at what can happen to kids who don't have the same kind of support and resources that Justyce had. Thanks to the believable voices of Quan and Justyce, it's always compelling and sometimes frustrating or heartbreaking, sometimes funny, and sometimes even hopeful.

Fans of Justyce will be glad to catch up with him and a few other characters from Dear Martin . And whether readers are new to the franchise or not, there are plenty of new characters to root for and relate to as they ask themselves big, important questions about what people need to grow, thrive, and dream.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Dear Justyce portrays Quan and Justyce. Are they both role models? What are their character strengths and weaknesses?

Why is it important to see different types of people and different skin colors represented in media? How do you feel when there's a character you can identify with? What can you learn about people who are different from you?

Did you read Dear Martin ? How does this book compare? Which do you like better? If you didn't read it, would you like to now?

Book Details

Author : Nic Stone
Genre : Contemporary Fiction
Topics : Friendship
Book type : Fiction
Publisher : Crown Books for Young Readers
Publication date : September 29, 2020
Publisher's recommended age(s) : 14 - 17
Number of pages : 288
Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated : October 23, 2020

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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IMAGES

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Book Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone
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Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

VIDEO

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COMMENTS

Dear Martin Book Review
Boy faces racial profiling in powerful, realistic tale. Read Common Sense Media's Dear Martin review, age rating, and parents guide.
DEAR MARTIN
In this roller-coaster ride of a debut, the author summons the popular legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. to respond to the recent tragic violence befalling unarmed black men and boys.
Book Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Book Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone. Publisher's 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 ...
Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Dear Martin Nic Stone Crown Books for Young Readers Published on October 17, 2017 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads About Dear Martin 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 ...
Book Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone
So I picked up this book because I wanted to meet an author at BookCon (whose tickets weren't sold out), and I came across Nic Stone—and I had read The Hate U Give earlier in the year, and Dear Martin covers the same topic, in a different way.
Kid reviews for Dear Martin
Read Dear Martin reviews from kids and teens on Common Sense Media. Become a member to write your own review.
Dear Martin
Dear Martin. #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WILLIAM C. MORRIS AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIMEAfter 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 ...
Dear Martin
DEAR MARTIN was my most anticipated book of the second half of the year, but unfortunately, I couldn't connect with it for the life of me. Right from the start, the third person point of view rubbed me the wrong way.
Exploring Realities and Resilience: 'Dear Martin' Book Review
The book made me reflect on whether these incidents were based on true stories, as it was so authentic and true to life. The authors seemed well-researched and skillfully wove real-life experiences into the story. Book Overview "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone is about a boy named Justice who lives in Atlanta.
Review: Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Review. Dear Martin is powerful, gripping, and heart wrenching. Reeling from the loss of his best friend, Justyce is thrown headfirst into a journey where he must question his identity, how he handles the racism, and how he will move on from his best friend's death. It's a book that starts before the death of his best friend as Justyce ...
Amazon.com: Dear Martin: 9781101939499: Stone, Nic: Books
Dear Martin. Hardcover - October 17, 2017. 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.
'Dear Martin' will make most readers uncomfortable
Nic Stone's debut bestseller, "Dear Martin" exposes how discrimination affects the daily lives of black teens, even if they play by all the rules
Nic Stone's 'Dear Martin' Joins 'The Hate U Give' in Addressing Police
Nic Stone's new novel "Dear Martin" joins Angie Thomas's "The Hate U Give" amid a growing body of YA books exploring racial injustice, police brutality, and protest.
Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Dear Martin
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Dear Martin at Amazon.com. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users.
Book review: "Dear Martin" is powerful and enthralling
The original cover for "Dear Martin.". "Dear Martin," written by Nic Stone, is a brutally honest, captivating novel that expertly discusses and portrays racism in our society. Although the novel is Stone's very first, I found myself thoroughly impressed by the way she simultaneously skirted through themes of racism and ethnic ...
Dear Martin
Dear Martin, published in 2018 by Crown Publishing Group, is an adult novel by Nic Stone. It is Stone's debut novel, written as a reaction to the murder of Jordan Davis. [1] The book appeared as #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list. [2]
Dear Martin
Reviewed by Zetta Elliott Review Source: Zetta Elliott Book Author: When a friend asked me last fall to address the problems she found in Dear Martin, I hedged. Few people thanked me for pointing out the issues I had with All American Boys (though many were quick to praise Jason Reynolds for his "gracious" response), and I didn't want […]
Amazon.com: Dear Martin: 9781101939529: Stone, Nic: Books
Read all the books from Nic Stone! A raw, captivating, and undeniably real bestselling debut. The stunning sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. An honest and touching depiction of friendship, first love, and everything in between. A must-read story about class, money, and how you make your own luck in the world.
The Horn Book
Review of Dear Martin by Dean Schneider Nov 11, 2017 | Filed in Book Reviews Dear Martin by Nic Stone High School Crown 211 pp. g 10/17 978-1-101-93949-9 $17.99 Library ed. 978-11-101-93950-5 $20.99 e-book ed. 978-1-101-93951-2 $10.99 "I know your kind: punks like you wander the streets of nice neighborhoods searching for prey.
Dear Justyce: Dear Martin, Book 2
Moving story of teen caught in unfair justice system. Read Common Sense Media's Dear Justyce: Dear Martin, Book 2 review, age rating, and parents guide.

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