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katharina90's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
The author tries to tackle a lot of important issues related to race and identity, but it's a fairly short book which doesn't leave much room for depth and complexity.
A lot of telling rather showing, and characters that stay one-dimensional and pretty stereotypical (the white racist brat, the gun-toting gang member, etc.).
It could still be a good starting point for discussion in a classroom, or between youths and their parents.
A lot of telling rather showing, and characters that stay one-dimensional and pretty stereotypical (the white racist brat, the gun-toting gang member, etc.).
It could still be a good starting point for discussion in a classroom, or between youths and their parents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Genocide, Sexism, and Colonisation
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Touching story about growing up Black, trying to better your situation, and the issues that can arise. This story is tragic yet hopeful and shines a light on the ways that racism is both a domino effect in communities of color and a cyclical phenomenon that affects people of all races.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
nannahnannah's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
Okay, don’t get me wrong. This book and the topics it covers are very important (antiblackness, police brutality, the different responses to black boys being killed by cops, among others), but the writing is not strong. That's obviously not a very popular opinion, though, and I’ll never be upset that something like this has gotten so popular.
Representation:
- the main protagonist is Black
- two secondary protagonists and a love interest are also Black
- another love interest is Jewish
(the Goodreads summary is awful … it spoils the book!)
Justyce McAllister grew up in a rough neighborhood and is well acquainted with antiblackness and police brutality, but as a student in a fancy prep school destined for the Ivy League, he never thought something like what he hears about in the news could happen to him. He’s not one of those Black boys. But when he tries to help his drunk, light-skinned ex home after a party, a cop assumes he’s assaulting a white woman and puts him in handcuffs for three hours. After the incident, Justyce’s life and worldview are no longer the same. He starts seeing antiblackness everywhere and begins to write to Martin Luther King Jr. in an experiment to discover if MLK’s teachings still have relevance in the modern day.
What I particularly like is the story showing (through news clippings and articles) the way black victims of police brutality are demonized in the media. It feels very authentic, and a lot like what has really happened in real life. There are consequences for every action, even if the consequence doesn’t feel justified.
But while I think the topics of this book are incredibly important--and I very much like the idea of the protagonist writing letters to MLK as a way to find his own self and as a way to cope with racism he’s experiencing--I think the execution doesn’t at all do the concepts justice. I'm not sure Justyce's writing to MLK as an "experiment", especially to see if MLK's teachings of nonviolence have relevance, really come through.
Most of all the reason for my rating is the writing itself. In many places, the prose dissolves into a script format, sometimes only for one or two lines of dialogue before reverting back into prose. There are even actions marked in parentheses. The result is something that seems like the author jotting down ideas to come back and edit later.
“Ain’t no amount of money nor intelligence can change that shit.”
Jared: Hey, man, that’s not true. You don’t ev--
“Shut UP, Jared!” (This from Surfer-Tyler.) “Let’s just leave, bro.”
Trey: Sounds like a great idea to me.
But since this story is largely about important conversations about race, I can in a way see how this kind of format could be highlighting that theme, especially in classroom scenes where the novel abandons prose altogether and adopts the script format. With the exception of the actions in parentheses (which feel really strange, and more like a teen writing something than writing for teens), it works okay there. But otherwise, without beats, or anything to signify tone other than caps and italics, things start to sound over dramatic and confusing.
Speaking of caps and italics, the author seems to want to add every YA-style formatting gimmick there is. There’s lots of all-cap text alongside italics, sections of different fonts (even though that’s appropriate), different formatting, lots of onomatopoeias, etc. All of that together creates writing that feels juvenile, even if the topics and the scenes absolutely are anything but.
I also wish the book had left out the sexism and misogyny, especially from Justyce’s PoV. If this is what authors need to include to have it “connect” or sound like real teenage boys, we uhh, have a problem.
But all that said, I particularly liked the letters Justyce wrote to MLK Jr. Those letters came off to me as the most genuine parts of the book. And there were scenes that moved me, and one I teared up at. It’s not a terrible book, I just didn’t like or connect with the writing style. I wish the series and the author all the best, though!
Representation:
- the main protagonist is Black
- two secondary protagonists and a love interest are also Black
- another love interest is Jewish
(the Goodreads summary is awful … it spoils the book!)
Justyce McAllister grew up in a rough neighborhood and is well acquainted with antiblackness and police brutality, but as a student in a fancy prep school destined for the Ivy League, he never thought something like what he hears about in the news could happen to him. He’s not one of those Black boys. But when he tries to help his drunk, light-skinned ex home after a party, a cop assumes he’s assaulting a white woman and puts him in handcuffs for three hours. After the incident, Justyce’s life and worldview are no longer the same. He starts seeing antiblackness everywhere and begins to write to Martin Luther King Jr. in an experiment to discover if MLK’s teachings still have relevance in the modern day.
What I particularly like is the story showing (through news clippings and articles) the way black victims of police brutality are demonized in the media. It feels very authentic, and a lot like what has really happened in real life. There are consequences for every action, even if the consequence doesn’t feel justified.
But while I think the topics of this book are incredibly important--and I very much like the idea of the protagonist writing letters to MLK as a way to find his own self and as a way to cope with racism he’s experiencing--I think the execution doesn’t at all do the concepts justice. I'm not sure Justyce's writing to MLK as an "experiment", especially to see if MLK's teachings of nonviolence have relevance, really come through.
Most of all the reason for my rating is the writing itself. In many places, the prose dissolves into a script format, sometimes only for one or two lines of dialogue before reverting back into prose. There are even actions marked in parentheses. The result is something that seems like the author jotting down ideas to come back and edit later.
“Ain’t no amount of money nor intelligence can change that shit.”
Jared: Hey, man, that’s not true. You don’t ev--
“Shut UP, Jared!” (This from Surfer-Tyler.) “Let’s just leave, bro.”
Trey: Sounds like a great idea to me.
But since this story is largely about important conversations about race, I can in a way see how this kind of format could be highlighting that theme, especially in classroom scenes where the novel abandons prose altogether and adopts the script format. With the exception of the actions in parentheses (which feel really strange, and more like a teen writing something than writing for teens), it works okay there. But otherwise, without beats, or anything to signify tone other than caps and italics, things start to sound over dramatic and confusing.
Speaking of caps and italics, the author seems to want to add every YA-style formatting gimmick there is. There’s lots of all-cap text alongside italics, sections of different fonts (even though that’s appropriate), different formatting, lots of onomatopoeias, etc. All of that together creates writing that feels juvenile, even if the topics and the scenes absolutely are anything but.
I also wish the book had left out the sexism and misogyny, especially from Justyce’s PoV. If this is what authors need to include to have it “connect” or sound like real teenage boys, we uhh, have a problem.
But all that said, I particularly liked the letters Justyce wrote to MLK Jr. Those letters came off to me as the most genuine parts of the book. And there were scenes that moved me, and one I teared up at. It’s not a terrible book, I just didn’t like or connect with the writing style. I wish the series and the author all the best, though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Police brutality
Minor: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
also: antiblacknesstheasbookworld's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
mandi4886's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Everyone needs to read this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Minor: Domestic abuse, Gore, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
valeriabee's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Actively avoiding GoodReads for fear of racist comments that I might find. I read this in a single day. It helps that the book is short. But more than anything, I was attached to Justyce's story. This is another one of those honest books that doesnt shy from the reality of matters or attempt to make the racism palettable. In fact, Nic Stone went IN on the racist comments, mindsets, behaviors. I mean, there are some moments when youre reading what white kids are capable of doing and you think "there is no way they don't see the problem with that" but I know that it's very possible. I have seen and argued with people that were the exact same way as Jared and Blake. When Justyce got accepted into Yale early admission I was a little sad for him. I live in New Haven, down the street from Yale, I teach Black and brown students who have lived in New Haven their whole life. New Haven itself is diverse, but Yale? Yale is elitist. While it does the bare minimum with diversity and inclusion (which is decidedly different from equity and justice), it is an institution founded on the exclusion of non-white, non-wealthy, non-male. It has improved, but it's a system. Not to mention the overhype of Ivy leagues. I just knew that Justyce would have to keep fighting to feel seen or understood even after graduating from his prep school. I am very interested in how some characters have grown. I think the end really speaks to what a college education can do for the capacity to think critical and be more open. I, however, will always take a "changed" racist with a grain of salt. It's unsettling. I understand how someone who sits relatively in the middle can he moved, but someone who was so dead set on their prejudices? It makes me wonder if I should or (could) forgive the white boys from my high school who behaved the same as these white boys? But can I forgive myself for the microaggressions I have thrown into the world? Should I be forgiven?
I think Justyce's experiment of Being Like Martin is a great vehicle for asking these questions. Justyce asks himself (or Martin) very difficult questions about how he should move through the world as a black boy. He asks questions about interracial relationships, whether theyre worth it. Dear Martin brings attention to the nature and impact of interpersonal/low-level racism on systemic racism. I am glad this book is as popular as it is because it is a message that deserves to be heard. Especially in a time when Black people are refusing to be used and abused by the system that has continuously attempted to hold them down.
I think Justyce's experiment of Being Like Martin is a great vehicle for asking these questions. Justyce asks himself (or Martin) very difficult questions about how he should move through the world as a black boy. He asks questions about interracial relationships, whether theyre worth it. Dear Martin brings attention to the nature and impact of interpersonal/low-level racism on systemic racism. I am glad this book is as popular as it is because it is a message that deserves to be heard. Especially in a time when Black people are refusing to be used and abused by the system that has continuously attempted to hold them down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Antisemitism
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