The cops all stomp around punching black guys in the face and using the n-word, while Justyce's white classmates are so stupidly and openly racist to the point where one of them thinks it's funny to go to a party dressed as a Ku Klux Klan member. In contrast, all of the racism is very overt. I was a shy bookworm and even I had more bite than Justyce. While it is important to deconstruct the aggressive thug stereotype associated with young black men, teens this mild-mannered and uncomplicated are hard to believe in. Justyce is an unquestionably nice, well-mannered boy who wants to follow in the “moral high ground” footsteps of MLK.

While many complex issues are considered, some aspects are simplistic and lacking in nuance.

He finds himself torn between the need to be true to his roots and his desire to succeed in a world that demands he play the white man's game to get ahead.Īll that being said, it's not a perfect book. It is especially interesting when the author also considers the animosity Justyce receives from the black boys in his neighbourhood. Or the demand to 'stop being so sensitive' in the face of race-related jokes. This book explores smaller but deeply hurtful acts of racially-charged aggression, such as the anger held by white students over affirmative action programs. While The Hate U Give looks at the shooting of unarmed black men and boys through the eyes of a female witness, Dear Martin instead offers what it is like to be one of those racially-profiled black men. Through third person narration alternating with Justyce's letters to Martin Luthor King Jr., we get insight into some of the experiences had by black teenage boys.įor those looking for books to complement The Hate U Give, this is a good place to start. There are so few YA books with POC narrators and especially lacking are those with non-white teen boys, so this book is particularly needed. But it’s the world many black Americans face every day.ĭear Martin introduces us to Justyce - a strong and important voice in YA. Maybe it’s not a world I am forced to deal with. That everyone is equal and, actually, YOU are given an advantage by affirmative action programs.īut this isn’t a dark dystopia. Imagine living this nightmare and STILL being told that it doesn’t happen anymore. Imagine trying to live your life with the constant knowledge that you could be murdered for… wearing the wrong clothes… looking “shady”… or having the wrong colour skin. A dark, dystopian future where young men are gunned down for doing nothing wrong. For some, it sounds like the kind of dystopian world inspired by The Hunger Games.

Dearmartin