by Nic Stone
First published 2021
Justyce McAllister has stellar grades and Ivy League prospects, but a police officer still puts him in handcuffs. He's left his rough neighborhood behind, yet he faces scorn from his old friends and ridicule from his new classmates. Searching for guidance, Justyce begins writing journal entries addressed to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., questioning whether King's teachings still apply today. One afternoon, Justyce and his best friend Manny drive with their windows down and music blasting. A white off-duty police officer pulls up beside them. Angry words are exchanged. Gunshots follow. Both boys find themselves caught in the violence. When the media covers the incident, Justyce becomes the target of public attack. Through his letters to Dr. King, he struggles to make sense of a world where his achievements mean nothing and his very existence feels criminalized.
Genres: fiction, african-american, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: identity-crisis, social-commentary
Setting: Ivy League, Rough Neighborhood
Period: Contemporary
Hardcover · Crown Books for Young Readers
Content warnings: racism