A review by story_sanctuary
Dear Martin, by Nic Stone
5.0
Okay, wow. I liked this book so much. Honestly, I worried a little bit at the beginning that it would be too much like The Hate U Give, which I also liked, but I was hoping this wasn’t a repeat, if that makes sense, since the story sounded similar in some ways. (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.
I think The Hate U Give is an incredibly powerful story, and I don’t want to take anything away from it or from the amazing author, Angie Thomas, by saying this, but actually, I liked Dear Martin better. Amazing story. If you’re looking for a novel about American race relations, I definitely recommend this one.
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.
I think The Hate U Give is an incredibly powerful story, and I don’t want to take anything away from it or from the amazing author, Angie Thomas, by saying this, but actually, I liked Dear Martin better. Amazing story. If you’re looking for a novel about American race relations, I definitely recommend this one.