Dear Martin

Justyce has worked hard to create a better life for himself. He gets good grades, is kind to others, and is the kind of son who who makes his mom proud. He plans to study at Princeton the following year. One night he is refusing to allow an intoxicated friend home and outting her in a car when the police come upon the two kids. Misinterpretting the situation, the police treat Justyce rough him up, and arrest him. Though he is never charged with anything, the incident scars him, especially in the recent wake of incidents of unarmed Black teens being shot by police. When a teacher in his Societal Evolution class brings up the subject of race relations a White male student argues that the country has reached full equality for all, which frustrates Justyce even more. SJ, a passionate White girl in the class, gets into a heated debate with the other boy. Justyce's best friend, Manny, comes from an affluent family. Even though Manny is also African American, he seems to be more well-liked by some of the other White kids in the class because he's not as outspoken as Justyce and SJ. When Justyce and Manny are out one night and listening to music in their car, an off-duty policeman gets into an argument with the boys about their music being too loud, which eventually leads to Manny getting shot and killed. Some of the people in the community assume that the boys provoked the officer, even though he is charged with manslaughter and some other lesser crimes. Justyce is going through a lot with the death of his friend. He's also attracted to SJ, and he thinks she likes him too, but he knows his mom won't approve of him dating a White girl. Throughout the book, Justyce writes in his journal to Martin Luther King Jr., trying to make sense of it all as he frequently asks what King would do in similar situations. This is the first book in a three-part series and would appeal to most YA readers. The writing is excellent, and the subject matter is compelling.

My son entire class was assigned to read this book as an assignment. He said it's a good book.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone is an uncomfortable read but that’s the point. The truth in it will make your stomach cramp and at times I found myself internally yelling, “Don’t do that!!” In a time of uncertainty and false information, Dear Martin shines a light on how facts can be twisted to fit into whatever narrative a person wants to tell. Interpretation is everything and can bring a good man down. I cried through most of it, but I could not put this book down! Justyce knows there is violence and racial profiling but he believes if he does the right thing and makes good decisions that those problems won’t touch him. He’s an intelligent over-achiever living outside Atlanta GA. Growing up poor and black, his high grades earn him a scholarship to a prestigious private high school. He is an excellent example of a success story, poster boy material. Then he arrested for trying to do a favor for a friend which rips the blinders off his innocence and traumatizes him. Justyce begins a solo project to find answers by living by the words of Martin Luther King Jr. He begins to write him letters hence the title. Once he sees the ugliness and racism in the world, he can’t unsee it. It affects all aspects of his life and his life begins to spiral downward. It’s so hard to read. It hurt my heart. I don’t know much but I do know I’ve lived with the advantage of white privilege and it’s difficult to comprehend how that has shaped my life. I feel like I also had binders on that were ripped away and the shock of the state of our world is jarring. I truly believed, from my very comfortable white life, that we had made great strides in combatting racism. But it is clear that we still have a long way to go, and in some ways, we are not much farther than when Dr. King led peaceful protests. Dear Martin exemplifies many different perspectives and is eye opening. It weaves a twisted plot through truth and untruths. There are the BIG issues with the very real teenage issues like dating, friendships and fitting in. It is a must-read book. I highly recommend it.

So while Nic Stone's first foray into the world of middle grade fiction left me feeling somewhat underwhelmed, I enjoyed aspects of it enough to leave me feeling like giving another of her books a shot. And wow am I glad I did. ⠀ ⠀ Dear Martin is Nic Stone's first published work, and where the writing in Clean Getaway feels stilted and hesitant, here it flows with a smooth, confident swagger. 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. But it's a balance that Stone strikes splendidly.⠀⠀ ⠀ Dear Martin follows Justyce McAllister, a brilliant student at an exclusive and privileged private school, whose life, at the start of the story, consists of excelling at school in order to get into the Ivy League, and trying to figure out a tumultuous relationship with his on-again/off-again/on-again girlfriend. Until one night, when trying to stop said girlfriend from driving home drunk, he is harassed by a racist cop who predictably assumes the worst. The experience leaves him shaken, enough that he starts to become increasingly aware of just how much he is judged by the color of his skin. ⠀ ⠀ Justyce doesn't know how to deal with this, so he starts a project with the goal of emulating Martin Luther King, Jr. in a series of letters that soon become the outlet for his fear and frustration. A project that comes to a tragic, screeching halt when he and his best friend are involved in a shooting, the fallout of which puts Justyce in the cross-hairs of the media and the general public, who insist on degrading and demeaning him.⠀ ⠀ Nic Stone has written a heartbreakingly real and painfully relevant novel about the plague of systematized racism and how it continually, relentlessly tears down and dismantles black youths. Justyce feels all too real, as a young black man who has to work twice as hard as everybody else in order to stand on the same stage as his more privileged colleagues; as a less-than-perfect teenager just trying to figure out the trials and tribulations of adolescence, which is hard enough without the prejudice of others; as just this kid who just wants, like Martin, to face a world that never, ever lets up with all the grace and dignity of a king and just do good.⠀ ⠀ The cover for my copy features a blurb by Angie Thomas, which is appropriate since this book explores the same theme as her excellent debut The Hate U Give. But whereas that book presents a more idealized conclusion of a community coming together to fight injustice, Dear Martin is, I think, a bit more realistic in its ambiguity — which just adds another layer of tragedy to the story. The ending of Dear Martin caught me off-guard, since it felt to me like there was more to the story. But there's no neat resolution to be found here, no uplifting ending wrapped up in a bow. It ends like real-life situations often do: with uncertainty. We don't know what's going to happen to Justyce any more than he does. But Stone reminds that, like Martin, we can hope, and we can dream. And maybe one day we'll find our way towards justice.

This is a simple, stark book about very messy, real topics. About keeping your sanity in an insane world. The author NAILED Jus's voice- I've never seen anybody sound more like a teenage boy that wasn't actually a teenage boy. Jus is a nice guy, but not too nice. I love him in the opening scene, when he's helping his drunk ex girlfriend, and you can really see how starstruck he is by a hot girl being into him, and his very "guy" reactions to her, but also his inherent decency because even when she makes it hard for him, he's going to do the right thing. The book jumps headlong into debates about a lot of uncomfortable things, and I like how many different perspectives it provides through its characters, some sympathetic, some very much not. Jus is surrounded by people, white and black, and those who help him and those who hold him back come from both sides of the racial divide. I love how there's a character to play out every different philosophical perspective, but none of them, not ONE seems flat or one-dimensional or "made up to play a purpose." The amazing magic trick that this book pulls is that even though it never breaks tone, and is purely through the voice of a teenage boy, there's also a gravity to the language and the way the ideas are presented that zooms the camera back and makes you feel the weight of being a part of a very important moment in history. It inspires you (you, me, all of us) to be better, even (especially) if the people around us are being worse. And I love the end. Because it's not a big speech. It's not a huge turning point. It's a quiet demonstration of the only way that change really happens: through a connection between two individuals, and a single spark of hope. Unforgettable.

I loved this book. Justyce, seventeen year old senior was feeling the searing burns of racism from some of the white students at the school he went to. He had a friend, Manny and love for S.J., a pretty Jewish white girl who pushed for racial equality, It is a short book but there is a whole lot packed into it. I can believe a lot of this gritty tale and I want the letters written by Justyce to Martin Luther King, Js. answered. You really get how hard it is to be non-violent when so much is wrong. Justyce learns that violence can never be the answer but at times it seems that cards are all stacked against him. His biracial friend, Doc, one of his teachers gives great advice. There is tragedy, brotherhood and enduring words in this book.

I look at the cover; I see my son. I read each line, left to right and in between; I hear my son’s voice. Searching for understanding and hope in this dark place, this space where justice is not for all of us; what do I teach my son? Just like Justyce McAllister declares, there are those who will look at him and not see a man with rights. How did Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. handle the deep-seated hate and racism he faced? How did he stand confident, in strength, in the face of it all? This is what Justyce grapples with as he begins writing letters to Dr. King, trying to make sense of the world after a good deed lands him in handcuffs. This is a year for Justyce that should be celebrated. Great grades, SAT and ACT scores, acceptance into a prestigious ivy league school, but when one poor decision turns fatal, life as he knows it comes undone. How will he put the pieces back together again? How will we? Justyce McAllister is your son as much as he is mine. How do we make this world a better place for him? For all of us? Nic Stone’s debut novel tackles racism head on with grit and honesty. The conversations that are had and issues debated in this book are cause for self-reflection. What part do I play? Do I walk around pretending inequality doesn’t exist because the instances I hear and see are so distant? I think this is what Justyce was going through. He felt like his part was unclear and maybe even insignificant and while he recognized hate and racism for the evil that it is, it didn’t become all the way real to him until he confronted it first hand. Be prepared, Dear Martin will pull you in quickly and may cause you to emerge with a new perspective. If you haven’t added this to your wishlist for your classroom or library, please go and do it-quickly!

“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?” At the start of reading “Dear Martin” that was selected as EyeCU Reading’s book club selection to read and discuss with a group of Detroit Public School’s middle school students…I was a bit nervous at the maturity of the content. But after listening to the student’s reaction, I was simply in awe! They got it, they loved it and was passionately revved up to discuss! Some of the students shared personal experiences with adversity and racism that just filled my heart with sadness. And although some of the realism of this story was hard to swallow at times, the relevancy and approach to the storyline was thoughtfully detailed and eye opening. Bravo to Nic Stone for shining light on a harsh reality that we often don’t like to discuss. “Dear Martin” was a GRIPPING reminder that we can’t protect our children from what they don’t know. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE LETTERS TO MARTIN and I look forward to reading more of this author’s work. 1-CLICK NOW! Ebony EyeCU Reading Approved & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED