First published 2015
Rashad just wanted to buy chips. When a woman trips over him in the store, he drops the bag and tries to explain it was an accident. The police officer doesn't listen. He pounds Rashad into the pavement again and again, sending the ROTC student and artist to the hospital. Quinn watches it happen. The officer beating his black classmate is his best friend's older brother. Quinn stays silent at first, unsure what he saw or what it means. The incident gets caught on camera. The school divides. The nation divides. Words like racism and police brutality spread everywhere. Quinn realizes he can't stay quiet anymore. He's part of this story whether he wants to be or not. Both boys, one black and one white, face a hard truth. Racism didn't end with the civil rights movement. Now they have to decide what comes next. They have to risk everything to make sure no other kid ends up absent from school because of police violence.
Genres: fiction, american, african-american, contemporary, young-adult, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, social-commentary
316 pages · Hardcover · Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Content warnings: racism, violence