Dear Martin Review

I won this book as part of T.J.’s giveaway and I had a few reads to finish before being able to grab this little gem.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

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.

Rating:

I will start this review by stating that I do not live in the US, but I have been in the US and one of the things that shocked me the most was the racism that steeps from everywhere and is so latent. I had never before in my life experienced anything like it, from all sides.

This book is a raw, gripping depiction of this racism, and the predisposition to think someone is bad just because of how they look. For such a short book it really packs a punch. As soon as I finished I texted Nikki and was just wanting her to read it.

I deducted half a fox because it is a little convoluted and jumps from here to there at times. And sometimes you get so little information on things that could’ve been expanded and a lot of information on things that aren’t that necessary to the story. I understand we’re being shown who Justyce is.

Otherwise, it is a great read, looking at things from an own voices point of view. And it breaks my hear that this is very much a reality for many. I also appreciated it wasn’t just a book where “white = bad” but it tackled on how both white and black can try to stop other blacks from raising above it. Kudos to Nic for that!

Moon recommends

Go read this book, then add THUG (The Hate U Give) to your list and learn a little more about black lives. And also, please, try to shake any racism and prejudice off yourself. It makes a difference however small it may be.

If you’d like to read it, you can find it here.

Disclaimer: There is an Amazon Associates link, but if you choose to use them and buy from them, know that you’re just helping me buy more books and feed my reading needs. Book synopsis is from Good Reads.