Review: "Dear Martin," by Nic Stone

I have wanted to read a Nic Stone novel since I saw her at the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) virtual conference. With her blue lipstick and statement earrings, she exuded cool author vibes through my computer screen. Dear Martin, her YA debut novel, published in 2017, did not disappoint. 

Justyce McAllister is the central character in this novel about what it is like to be a young Black man in a world that is constantly profiling and spinning your actions. Justyce is a star student at his prep school on his way to Yale, but when a police officer sees him in the middle of the night with his biracial ex-girlfriend, the officer assumes the worst and puts him in handcuffs. The memory of those cuffs on his wrist stays with him, and he begins thinking about everything that Martin Luther King, Jr did for Civil Rights. While some things have changed, he feels that the perception others have of him as a young Black man has not. Throughout the novel, Justyce writes letters to Martin as a form of journaling to help him process the injustice he sees and experiences. 

Stone's writing is realistic in portraying an introspective teenager examining injustice and tragedy. It is thought-provoking and may disturb you as it should. 

Review: "Black Brother, Black Brother," by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Black Brother, Black Brother is on the Texas Bluebonnet list for the 2021-22 school year. This middle-grade novel is set at Middlefield Prep near Boston, Massachusetts. The story opens with a young man waiting to speak to the headmaster at his school. You quickly learn that the person in the office is Donte Ellison, the book's narrator, a young Black middle schooler who has been falsely accused of throwing a pencil at a classmate. The scene quickly escalates and cops are called and Donte is taken to jail.

Donte is a bi-racial student at Middlefield Prep. He is the son of a Black mother, a White father, and a younger brother to a star athlete whose skin tone is lighter than his own dark skin. The book explores themes of racial injustice, colorism, privilege, and prejudice with the art of fencing as a metaphor. Donte picks up fencing to help him deal with the anxieties of being one of the only Black students at this school and in turn, learns lessons about life. 

Jewell Parker Rhodes's tone is hopeful and her writing in this book is very straightforward. It is written to make it easy for its middle-grade readers to understand the nuances that she is writing about. This is definitely a great book that parents can read alongside their children to open up discussions about the books' themes. For further discussion and learning, I highly recommend the podcast episode from Throughline titled the Invention of Race.

Review: "Efren Divided," Ernesto Cisneros

Efren comes home from school to find that his mother has been deported. She is his "Soperwoman" who always makes their home feel so much more than just a tiny one-room apartment in their LA Latino immigrant neighborhood. This book smart middle schooler is now thrust into the world of ICE, politics, and being responsible for his 5-year-old twin siblings while his Dad takes on extra jobs to get their mother home. This moving, character-driven novel is a story of what it is to grow up as an American citizen when your parents are not. It is an authentic story about identity, friendship, family, and gratitude. Cisneros's writing is engaging and, at times, poignant. This book is for middle-grade readers, but it is definitely a book that anyone of any age can read and come away with an understanding of what life is like for so many undocumented families. 🕮🐛🐛🐛🐛