Welcome to Litsy!

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 ⭐️

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

Again, I couldn‘t decide one favorite for July. Very different books but both great!
#12booksof2023

#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! 😊

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!

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

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.

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

Starting this next

#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. ❤️

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

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 🥹

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

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?

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

And I'm going to need to pause here because I'm about to start crying on the train. This book! 😢

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

#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

Wonderful book!!!!

Dear Martin, You could be any one of us. #dearmartin #acmsreads #readingraiders

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

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?? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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 ⬇️

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

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.

review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#dear-martin-dear-martin-1

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

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

#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.

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

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)

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⭐️

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

Trip to Target is not complete without a new book!

#favoriteyabyablackauthor #showsomelove @TheKidUpstairs @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

The perfect choice for MLK weekend; highly recommend! ❤️