BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stone, Nic. 2017. DEAR MARTIN. New York. Crown Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-1-101-93949-9
PLOT SUMMARY
Justyce McAllister, high school senior at the top of his class attends a prep school in an area completely different from his rough neighborhood. He is destined to attend an Ivy League school next year, but certain events make his year a difficult one. His intelligence and good record make no difference to a police officer who arrests him based on profiling. He turns to his personal writing project where he’s studied Dr. Martin Luther King’s teachings and writes to him looking for answers to the injustices he faces. Justyce and his best friend Manny go out one day to clear their heads about the stereotypes and injustices they face as young boys of color, but then their world changed in a matter of minutes when an off-duty officer decided the boys were a threat to the public as they were blasting their loud music in Manny’s Range Rover. Justyce is now faced with uncontrollable public scrutiny that conveys the exact opposite of his true character and justice is not served for Manny’s death because of a mistrial that will never be tried again.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Justyce, the teenage protagonist and narrator of the story, alongside his main character friends are very relatable to the young adult audience. Their high school experiences of friendships, relationships and romance coincide with teenagers everywhere. The conversation amongst the teenagers include dirty jokes, word play, and they’re funny enough to make the reader laugh. The stereotypes for people of color are represented very accurately in the story as even Justyce mentions a moment when he realizes he shouldn't have been wearing his hood and shouldn’t have had his hands in his pocket, so maybe he wouldn’t have been profiled by the police as he was walking late at night. His Halloween costume of dressing as a thug in an attempt to highlight unity with his friends dressed as different stereotypes backfired as it was used in the media to defend people’s assumptions of him using it as evidence to show his background from his rough neighborhood.
The message of stereotypes, prejudice, and social injustices are highlighted when Manny’s father, CEO of a company, shares his experience of struggling to be given an equal chance to move up in his career, with the boys. His story is shared as a warning to the boys as they will experience this in their lives and teaches them how to accept it, but how to move forward as well. The death of Manny is a common social injustice event that recurs in our nation and so this message of stereotyping and how people of color have to react and comply with law enforcement shows the injustice they face in difficult situations that can turn violent very quickly. The ending is not a happy one for Manny, but a hopeful one for Justyce. He is able to continue his education and his relationship with Sara Jane, his white girlfriend, which also faced its share of criticism by Justyce's mother.
EXCERPTS/ AWARDS
Booklist starred, 08/01/17
Booklist starred, 02/01/18
Horn Book Guide, 04/01/18
Horn Book Magazine, 03/01/18
Kirkus Review, 08/15/17
New York Times, 11/12/17
Publishers Weekly, 07/31/17
School Library Journal, 09/01/2017
Booklist starred, (August 2017 (Vol. 113, No. 22)): “Teens, librarians, and teachers alike will find this book a godsend in assisting discussions about dealing with police, as well as the philosophical underpinnings of Kind’s work.”
Kirkus Reviews (August 15, 2017): “ Though constrained, the work nevertheless stands apart in a literature that too often finds it hard to look hard truths in the face.”
School Library Journal (September 1, 2017): “ The main characters are well balanced and will resonate with teens.”
CONNECTIONS
Displaying this book alongside other books related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be a benefit for young adults as this book is so relevant to the young adult audience while exposing them to Dr. Martin Luther King teachings.
A great connection to this book would be for readers to write a letter to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. about any one of the societal injustices mentioned in the book. Putting themselves in Justyce’s shoes and connecting with the book through a different medium.
Reynolds, Jason. ALL AMERICAN BOYS. ISBN 978-1-51818-613-4
Alyse, Charity. OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACKS. ISBN 978-1-51607-483-9
Magoon, Kekla. HOW IT WENT DOWN. ISBN 978-1-48985-568-8
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