Dear Martin Paperback – 3 May 2018

Where to begin with this, probably with a disclaimer, I am incapable of fully understanding the trials and tribulations experienced by people of colour due the privilege afforded to me by my own skin colour. It is my duty though to continually strive to educate myself on the experiences of others so that I can stand with them and educate others.I knew when I picked up Dear Martin that it would be representing the prejudice and racism experienced by Black people, particularly the male experience in this book. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional rollercoaster I then experienced through reading Justyce’s story.The book is a quick read, only 210 pages but don’t let it being short fool you. Nic Stone has used every page to its full potential with making what Justyce goes through strike you right in the heart. I raged at how he was treated and how he feels the world perceives him, with everything that has happened the last few months I know that his perceptions are not incorrect which is devastating. The events that unfurl had me reaching for the tissues, and I did sob at parts. There are rays of light within the book, for example, sections with Sarah-Jane.Dear Martin is superbly written and pulls you straight into Justyce’s world in a way you can’t put it down. As I’ve hinted the writing is also heavy hitting and hard to process but very much worth the read. The writing also takes you through the plot at a pace that keeps you immersed in what’s happening, this really builds the tension that Justyce is feeling and the importance of each experience Justyce encounters.The characters are well-rounded and I connected with Justyce. I liked him immediately and rooted for his success. I felt for his frustration at being racially profiled, people assuming him to be a dangerous thug or not as intelligent as them. If you are white (like me) there is simply no way we can understand this fully but I’ll repeat it we need to educate ourselves on this to help remove it. All this happens at a time where most teenagers are beginning to understand themselves. I love Sarah-Jane and that Nic had created a character like her, I felt that Sarah-Jane is the example of what we should all be aiming to be.There is nothing to fault about this book. It is potent, powerful and raw! An important and a powerful read for everyone about the reality of being a Black male. The book covers racial profiling, racial injustice and white privilege to name a few which are important topics for us to be aware of. If there was a compulsory list of books that all readers should read this would 100% have a spot.Total recommendation and I can’t wait to read Dear Justyce the second book.

Through Justyce, we get to see what life is like from a young black male’s point of view. Justyce is someone who any parent would be proud off, he is doing great at school and has his head screwed on. Things take a turn in his life when he is falsely arrested.I felt so many emotions whilst reading this book, mainly of sadness and anger. Justyce is struggling with his feelings and thoughts with the recent turns of events and starts to write them down in the form of a letters/journal to Martin Luther King Jr. It felt very personal reading someone’s most inner thoughts. It made me think back to my time as a seventeen year old and the trivial issues I thought were huge at that time yet now feel so little in comparison to what sadly so many still have to face like Justyce even in the present, real day. He even has to face constant racist remarks from his close white friends! It was sad to see the gap widening between them all.Dear Martin is a relatively short read at less than 200 pages but it packs a real punch. It evoked a whole heap of emotions at the injustice of what some of the characters have to face. It actually made me feel sick to the stomach at how things get twisted in the media and the courts. Even though it’s classed as a young adult book, it’s one that should be read by everyone. As soon as I finished this book and saw there was a book two, I went ahead and purchased it straight away. A story that will stick with me for a long time and one I hope that we, as a human race can learn from.

I went into this book not really knowing the full extent of the story. I had a basic idea but decided to not look further into it and just go along for the ride.I won't lie, there were moments when reading this where I wanted to throw my tablet across the room and out of a window. Not because the story was bad in a literary sense, but because the subject matter was so real and so raw I couldn't help but think about all the real people, all the poor victims whose faces and names have been on the news or just not found at all. This book made me feel physically sick at points because it sent me into empathetic overdrive. I wanted to both step into the book and help the characters, and cross an ocean to help real people.On a different note, I think the writing was stronger when the book showed Justyce's letters. I was expecting the whole book to be in letter form, so I was a little surprised when it turned into a 3rd person story. Those sections, even though they were the sections that got the emotional reactions from me, didn't feel as strong in terms of writing style. But, saying that, there is a definite improvement from start to end.I cannot wait to see where the story goes with Dear Justyce. Nic Stone is a great writer and I cannot wait to read more from them!

This is an important book that every teen should read. For such a short read, this packs a powerful punch. I really like Justyce, and the important people in his life; Manny, Doc, SJ. It’s hard, as a white person, to understand all the challenges that people of colour experience, the stereotypes and the brutality - just because of the colour of their skin. I found Justyce’s story, whilst heartbreaking, really enlightening. He’s got a good head on his shoulders, he’s decent, he’s well educated, he’s going to places. But sometimes life and society puts up big barriers - and Justyce encounters them regularly; when trying to do the right thing when looking after his drunken ex, when talking to his mum about white people, when encountering peers from his old neighbourhood who are trying to hold him down and when his white school peers can’t accept he’s as intelligent as them. But he keeps going; uses his head and uses the support from those important people in his life. Stone’s writing is really easy to lose yourself in - I’m looking forward to hearing the next stage in this story.