Dear Martin by Nic Stone

From Goodreads,

"Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.

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."

Goodreads - Dear Martin

Awards and Nominations:

• William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee (2018)
• Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Nominee (2018)
• South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult (2020)
• Lincoln Award Nominee (2020)

When I was in junior high I struggled with books that had African Americans as the main character.  It wasn't because I was racist, but because I wasn't exposed to the way that they talk.  Now that I'm older it is much easier to read books with a very broken or unique vernacular.  But there are many newer books that I don't struggle with at all.  I've come to the conclusion this is because a lot of the language and vernacular I've been exposed to or I hear in regular conversations.  This book had its moments of unique language and slang, but for the most part, it was a sophisticated read. 

Justyce is just a typical teenager.  Except that he grew up in the hood, now goes to a prestigious high school, and is on a fast track to an Ivy League college.  But one night he walks to where his ex-girlfriend is parked and tries to stop her from driving drunk.  A cop shows up and arrests Justyce, which shakes him to his very core.  He knows he was just trying to help, but the cop just saw that he was black and that it appeared he was trying to do something illegal.  Justyce decides to look at the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and he ultimately decides to start a diary of sorts where he writes letters to Dr.King.  But everything changes for Justyce the day that he is riding with his friend Manny and an off duty police officer opens fire on them.  Justyce has a lot to sort out and hopes that the teachings of Dr. King and his letters to him will help him find where he belongs as a young black teenager. 

There are so many approaches I could take to this book, but I think I'm going to put my teacher's cap on and discuss this from an educational standpoint.  This book would be PERFECT in a high school classroom.  Honestly, it would be perfect in history, government, and an English classroom.  It is a new and relevant book that wouldn't have been taught every year for the last 40 years.  As a teacher, I would use some of the topics that Doc discussed in his class and I would open it up in a roundtable discussion or a Socratic seminar.  Both would be highly informational and full of opinions and ideas from students.  I would also have them write to Dr. King or pick some historical figure (I would probably compile a list ahead of time).  If using Dr. King as the one students were writing to, it would be easy to have questions ahead of time to ask the students or to help further deepen their thinking and writing.  A government teacher could pull some cross-curricular and have students research our justice system and explore cases that are similar to those mentioned in the book.  History teachers could teach the ideologies of Dr. King and they could pull that in with the book.  There is so much potential with this book and as a teacher, I was excited to see all the teachable moments and skills.  

One thing I didn't understand (maybe I missed it or can't recall) was why Justyce started the journal to Dr. King.  I don't really remember the point at which he decided to write to him and I don't remember his reasoning.  For a high school student, I find it rather odd that he would want to just willingly write letters to someone who is deceased.  I wished there had been more in-depth information on the letter/journal writing aspect of this book.  I think it would have been more understandable and relatable if Justyce had had to write to Dr. King because it was an assignment, and not just because he felt like it. 

I was surprisingly impressed with this book.  It had a good flow and plot.  The news reports that were sprinkled throughout gave the book a unique twist that kept it going and allowing for some time-lapse to happen in the book.  I give this 4 stars.  I'm excited to read the next book Dear Justyce which tells the story of Quan and how he ended up where he is.