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Dear Martin
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut. Justyce McAllister is top of his class, captain of the debate team, and set for the Ivy League next year--but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. He is eventually released without charges (or an apology), but the incident has Justyce spooked. Despite leaving his rough neighborhood, he can't seem to escape the scorn of his former peers or the attitude of his prep school classmates. The only exception: Sarah Jane, Justyce's gorgeous--and white--debate partner he wishes he didn't have a thing for. Struggling to cope with it all, Justyce starts a journal to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But do Dr. King's teachings hold up in the modern world? Justyce isn't so sure. Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up. Way up. Much to the fury of the white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. And Justyce and Manny get caught in the crosshairs. In that media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack. The truth of what happened that night--some would kill to know. Justyce is dying to forget.
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Scochrane26
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Pickpick

This Saturday is my fave day of the year—the Kentucky book fair. Some out-of-state authors are attending, including Nic Stone (& Al Roker). So, I decided I should prob read this book that‘s been on my kindle for several yrs before meeting her.
Part of this story ripped my heart out (I‘m sure a lot of you know which part). It‘s a great story, even if you‘re well past YA age. Loved the teens & insight into growing up Black. 5/5 ⭐️

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youneverarrived
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

A YA book so I‘m obviously not the intended audience which shows in my rating (3 ⭐️). It was very readable, accessible, engaging and I imagine quite informative/eye opening and relevant to younger readers. I think for its audience it‘s a great read. #readyourkindle

CBee One more off the Kindle TBR 👏🏻👏🏻 8mo
kspenmoll This book is a favorite with my 9th graders who are reading it now for book club groups. 8mo
youneverarrived @kspenmoll I can definitely see why! 8mo
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OriginalCyn620
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Again, I couldn‘t decide one favorite for July. Very different books but both great!
#12booksof2023

Andrew65 I loved Dear Martin when I read it last year, very important reading. 11mo
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OriginalCyn620
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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#two4tuesday

1. I think I have to say the tagged book. Very powerful and very well done. Read it if you haven‘t yet!
2. I‘d heard only good things, and I needed a social justice book to fulfill a prompt for a summer reading challenge, so that was the perfect excuse to read it!

If you want to play, consider yourself tagged! 😊

TheSpineView Thanks for playing! 🤩📖📘 1y
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OriginalCyn620
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Wow, this book! Powerful doesn‘t seem like a strong enough word. Honest and gripping, I teared up about 3 times, and at other times I was fuming mad. Just read it if you haven‘t already!

Andrew65 An amazingly powerful and upsetting book! (edited) 1y
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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

Such a powerful, vulnerable, honest book. Perfect for teens but adults too! Everyone should experience this book. Listened to this on #audio, amazing narration. #BookspinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

MicrobeMom My daughter loves this book. It is on my TBR. 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 2y
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ravenlee
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Pickpick

I‘m upset with myself for having this for so long and just now reading it. To be honest, for several years I couldn‘t face hard reads because life itself is plenty hard. Anyway, this book…wow, it‘s hard to explain. Powerful but not heavy-handed, lyrical sometimes, and oh-so-believable. Just read it, ok? If you‘re like me and still haven‘t.

Tamra This is still sitting on my TBR shelves as well. 2y
Sleepswithbooks I recently read this 💛 2y
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kricheal
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Short, perfect, and gripping story. Loved this! #4 #2023

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kricheal
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Starting this next

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Andrew65
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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#September #12BooksOf2022

The first book of September I read but it just blew me away and great as an audiobook. Everyone NEEDS to read this book. The follow-up was also good but Dear Martin had the edge for me. Thanks to @Soubhiville and #AuthorAMonth for these books, would never have discovered them without this. ❤️

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Andrew65
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Day 18 #AdventRecommends September Book 2

This is one of my books of the year, thanks to #AuthorAMonth, don‘t think I would have heard about this one otherwise. @Soubhiville
I agree with Angie Thomas, this is ‘a must read‘, and is strongly recommended.

@emilyrose_x

Soubhiville I agree, must read! 2y
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Sleepswithbooks
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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I fell in love with author Nic Stone this morning. And got teary as I was finishing “Dear Martin.” Going into work now seems excessive. I‘m emotionally spent 🥹

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks ❤️❤️❤️ 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Be careful with this Wesley person following and commenting on all the ladies posts.. something is fishy… 2y
See All 7 Comments
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Sleepswithbooks hmmmm he‘s gone 🤔 2y
Sleepswithbooks @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Obviously it‘s because of my outstanding lady-ninja moves!!!! 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Sleepswithbooks I totally agree!! 🥷 2y
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Sleepswithbooks
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Just started “Dear Martin” from having my interest peaked after reading a #Litsylove letter awhile back. This has quickly become my favorite way to watch my TBR list/pile grow like a squirrel 🌰🐿️ stashing away nuts for winter.

#DearMartin #Litsylove #TBRPile #booklover #currentlyreading

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Haha!! My copy is on my shelf and I need to get to it! 2y
Sleepswithbooks @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I@ thinking of hosting a #litsylove contest called “Guess how many yet to be read books Misty has on her bookshelves.” I need to make sure it coincides with National “I Am Going To Read That” day. Chocolate will also be involved 😂 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Sleepswithbooks hahaha!!! You are so funny!! But you are right!! 😂😂 2y
53 likes3 comments
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Zuhkeeyah
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

A powerful read that dives into the implicit bias against young black men. Justyce grew up in the hood, but is a straight A student at a prestigious school on the other side of the city. None of that matters when an officer aggressively misinterprets a situation, leaving Justyce to question: does it matter what he does if it doesn‘t change how the world sees him?

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vlwelser
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Cutting it really close with this month's #AuthorAMonth selection. This is good. But it's a book for kids. It still almost made me cry on the train.

@Soubhiville

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 2y
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vlwelser
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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And I'm going to need to pause here because I'm about to start crying on the train. This book! 😢

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Bookwormjillk
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

This little book packed an incredible punch. I couldn‘t stop until I knew what happened. #AuthorAMonth #SuperSeptember book 6/6

marleed When I first scrolled I thought this cover was the book 2y
Bookwormjillk @marleed that sounds like another good one. Just stacked it! 2y
marleed I want to read both, as well! 2y
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Andrew65 My favourite read this month. Well done 👏👏👏 2y
Bookwormjillk @Andrew65 me too! And I probably wouldn‘t have found it without #AuthorAMonth 2y
Richryan52 Holmes fan? 2y
Andrew65 @Bookwormjillk me either. 2y
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Caterina
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

If you think you'd enjoy a YA novel that tackles racism and police brutality with endearing characters and persevering hope, this one's for you. If you've enjoyed Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas, this one's for you. I enjoyed listening to this and its sequel! 👍 #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville #Audiobook

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Bklover
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Love that #authoramonth finds these wonderful books for me! Listened to this and loved it. Thanks @Soubhiville ❤️!
Now on to find Dear Justyce!

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sprainedbrain
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

So glad that #AAM finally made me try Nic Stone. A really fast, well-written, timely, and impactful read. I loved Justyce, and his story is an excellent way to bring the racial injustice we continue to see today to a wide audience of readers.

The audiobook is especially good, read by one of my favorite narrators.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Soubhiville Glad you liked it 🙂 2y
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Kangaj1
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

I finished my #AuthorAMonth read today and thought it was well done, especially on audio! @Soubhiville

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Blackink_WhitePaper
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Pickpick

I loved this book. Glad I picked it for #AuthorAMonth What a book! Heartbreaking & heartwarming. Anger & peace. Fear & courage, violence & non-violence. Beautiful but a tearjerker. I specially loved the way it ended.4.5🌟 I am going to read the next one as well.

#bookspinbingo #AAM2022 #AAM #YA

AmyG I read this one, too. Also loved it. 2y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!!! 2y
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Andrew65
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Wow!!!! This may only be a short book but it really packs a punch, repeatedly. Had to read it in one sitting and was totally invested in the character. At times not easy reading and you fear what is coming. Definitely stares racism in the face and totally exposes the everyday effect of racism. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#Authoramonth

2nd book read for September.

Soubhiville It‘s a powerful book. 🙂 2y
Andrew65 @Soubhiville It is certainly that, and now trying to get hold of the second book in the series. 2y
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Melismatic
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

This will be a fab #AuthorAMonth, I can already tell. I need to read everything by this author. 💙

If you loved The Hate U Give, this is along that speed. Truthful, honest, but portrays kids like actual kids. I hope this is in classrooms across the country. Starting the sequel as we speak.

Soubhiville I thought this was excellent as well. Just finished Dear Justyce and it‘s just as good. 2y
Melismatic @Soubhiville 💖💖💖💖 2y
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IndoorDame
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Pickpick

#AuthorAMonth this month gave me a great excuse to start listening to this which has been on my list forever and I couldn‘t put it down. I see why it‘s become such a standard! I‘m hoping to get to the sequel this month too. @Soubhiville

Soubhiville I loved it too. Dear Justyce is also great. 2y
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Jen2
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Pickpick

Wonderful book!!!!

Alfoster And beautiful flowers!❤️ 3y
Dragon Love lilacs 💜 3y
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Bookpearl
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Dear Martin, You could be any one of us. #dearmartin #acmsreads #readingraiders

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JacintaMCarter
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

#2022Book23
This was my second time teaching this book and my students loved it just as much as I do!

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Kshakal
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Holy moly does this book pack a punch! I think everyone should read this book and take a look inside about themselves and the world around them and then ask how can I help be the change?? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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candority
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Mehso-so

I think this is a great book for teens/adults who are just starting to read books about race, but unfortunately, it all seemed very surface level. I expected more hard-hitting, in-depth explorations of issues surrounding race in America, but instead I got a pretty predictable and underwhelming story. I feel as though the author tried to touch on too many issues for a 210 page book – racial profiling, police violence, affirmative action ⬇️

candority dealing with insensitive/racist peers, interracial relationships, gangs, grief, and more – so none of them got the full attention that they deserved. A lot of the racism in the book was very overt, which isn‘t necessarily a bad thing, but I would have liked to see some more subtle/insidious ways that racism impacted Justyce‘s life. I also unfortunately felt that Justyce‘s letters and interest in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was underdeveloped. ⬇️ 3y
candority I borrowed this from the Little Free Diverse Library near my house! These special LFL's focus on sharing books written by Black, Indigenous, and other author's of colour, as well as LGBTQ+ authors. 3y
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EChata
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Dear Martin and its follow-up Dear Justyce: These are both amazing, eye-opening, and heartbreaking. Both depict the social injustices that people of color (in particular, males) are faced with every.single.day. No matter what. I finished these and immediately shared with my cousin. #socialjustice #socialinjustice #nicstone #yareads #blacklivesmatter #checkyourprivilege

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BookDragonNotWorm
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

This book packs a punch! A student with an Ivy League future writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to work through his feelings after suffering an injustice due to racial profiling. Despite his efforts to learn wisdom from Luther's teachings, the MC struggles to make sense of a reality that gets progressively more hostile. A raw, insightful look into how it feels when you're judged by the color of your skin & not your actions.

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JoyBlue
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick
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GreenGrl87
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Niavrien says thanks you, Katelyn ( @MicrobeMom ) for these lovely #allagesswap goodies! He really loved the books and candies you picked, and was especially excited about his new sketchbook! 💗📚 thanks for hosting @Chrissyreadit

MicrobeMom Yay! I hope he loves the books! He is beautiful! 4y
Chrissyreadit Love it!!! 4y
GreenGrl87 @MicrobeMom thank you! I think he will, he has some others from the Origami Yoda series that he really enjoyed. 4y
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Shaunesay
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Pickpick

These two books are powerful, heartbreaking and so pertinent to our current times. Exhausting but also hopeful. A reminder that there is still so much work to do to be a truly equal society. Wonderful characters and portrayal, Justyce and Quan will stay with me, in my heart, forever. The audiobooks were amazing!

#wwreadingchallenge #blacklivesmatter #dearmartin #dearjustyce #systemicracism #policereform #guncontrol

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JacintaMCarter
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

#2021Book30
My review of this book isn't important. I loved it, which isn't a surprise. What really matters is that I had a student who started this book accusing me of using it to push "Black Lives Matter propaganda," and ended it by saying it was the best book I've assigned them and calling first dibs on the sequel.

mandarchy Congratulations! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks That‘s awesome!! 4y
BarbaraJean That‘s fantastic!! 4y
See All 6 Comments
Smrloomis Wow, that‘s amazing! 🥳 4y
rockpools That‘s just The Best! 4y
kspenmoll Just what you‘d want to happen- congrats! 4y
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BeckyWithTheGoodBooks
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Pickpick

Read this with my book club, and it was a very visceral read for me. This book will break your heart, make you uncomfortable, and fill you with rage all in the same paragraph. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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wideeyedreader
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
Pickpick

I loved this!! Such a brilliantly written books, with both anger-including moments and really sweet ones. This book has a lot to say in a short period of time, and it‘s worth listening to (and the audiobook is good too lol)

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Zoe-h
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Sooo good! I loved every page of this. There were parts that made me want to cry, want to punch something, but all of it left me wanting to read more. 5⭐️

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JenReadsAlot
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

What a powerful book. Highly recommended. Free space #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
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JenReadsAlot
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Trip to Target is not complete without a new book!

Come-read-with-me So true! 4y
Bits That's a good one! 4y
fredamans Powerful read! 4y
Eggs Great book 💗 4y
34 likes5 comments
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Kshakal
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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TheKidUpstairs Sounds really good. Stacked! 4y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I just bought this one!! 4y
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fredamans
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

This book may be labeled as fiction, but it couldn't have felt more real.
Read it. Let it affect you. Then change.
5⭐

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PurpleTulipGirl
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Read this gem this week. Justyce is a student at a prep school where he‘s one of a very small number of Black students. There, he thrives academically. After being unjustly detained by police, he begins writing letters to MLK, searching for wisdom to navigate his increasingly difficult world.

As a middle aged white female, I have found books like this to be helpful in understanding the experiences of people different from me.

MallenNC This book is great. I just read the sequel, Dear Justyce, and it was also great. 4y
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fredamans
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Page 56:

Melo shifts her focus to the doorway SJ disappeared through. “So you two are a thing now?“
“What? No!“
“I saw her jump on you, Justyce.“
“It's not like that, Mel.“
Except it is, obviously.

Join in at Freda's Voice: http://www.fredasvoice.com
#Friday56 #Instagram56

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MeganKlein
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

Incredible and eye-opening book by Nic Stone. This book tells the story of a boy named Justyce. Justyce experiences police brutality & racism face to face, and he writes letters to Dr. MLK Jr. seeking advice and wisdom. Lots of tears while reading this one, but it helped me become more aware of the privilege I have as a white woman. While this is a YA novel, this book should and can be read by adults too.

Easily ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

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BarbaraJean
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Pickpick

I read this in honor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, and had also recently read The New Jim Crow. It was fascinating to pair such well-researched nonfiction with a novel touching on many of the same issues. The book alternates between letters & narrative, as Yale-bound teen Justyce processes his experiences by writing letters to MLK. Although the ending wraps things up a little too quickly & neatly, it‘s still a timely & worthwhile read.

MallenNC I just read the sequel this week. I recommend it as a companion to this one, but it also stands alone. 4y
BarbaraJean @MallenNC Thanks for the recommendation! I‘ll have to check it out! 4y
MallenNC @BarbaraJean I hope you like it. The author has an introduction and an author‘s note at the end that added a lot to it. 4y
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BarbaraJean
Dear Martin | Nic Stone
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Starting this one today from my TBR, in honor of MLK. I feel like it‘s a good one to follow The New Jim Crow, which I finished over the weekend for a discussion yesterday.

Reviewsbylola This is a fantastic book. Very impactful. 4y
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this_teacher_reads
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The perfect choice for MLK weekend; highly recommend! ❤️

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