Dear Martin

Stone, N. (2017). Dear Martin. New York: Crown.

Quick Picks Choice

Summary:

All Justyce McAllister wanted to do was make sure his inebriated ex-girlfriend got home safely. Instead, he is handcuffed just for the way he looks. He is let go without any charges but the event has rocked Justyce’s world. He thought he was safe. Fourth in his graduating class at a Preparatory Academy to which he has earned a full scholarship, he finds it hard to believe he was targeted in such a way.

Justyce begins writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as a way to express his feelings. And he starts to wonder: what would Martin do?

Reaction:

The cover immediately catches the readers eye. An African American boy stands to the side. In his outline are the blurred lights of a police cruiser. Blurbs from Jason Reynolds and Angie Thomas praise the contents.

By starting the book with Justyce immediately being targeted, author Nic Stone catches the reader’s attention. Why is Justyce being discriminated against? He’s just trying to help his very drunk, very rude ex-girlfriend get home safely. But because she is half-white but is more on the light side, an Atlanta police officer assumes Justyce means the worst.

The novel flips between third person and first person with the letters to MLK Jr. This allows the reader to follow Justyce’s thought process as he tries to sort out his feelings about the event at the beginning of the book. It is as though he ha been living with rose colored glasses before, and now he sees more than he ever wanted to.

Nic Stone wrote this novel in her own attempt to understand the world through Dr. King’s teachings. It’s difficult for Justyce to accept that no matter what he does, how successful he is based on hard work, he will always be looked down upon. And that’s a struggle for him to accept.

His best friend, Manny, begins see the world as Justyce does towards the middle of the book. Growing up in a different world than Justyce (with money and the same friends throughout his life), Manny never let the divide bother him before. Until he snaps. Manny’s total 360 is a little disconcerting. He gets so angry so fast that it’s difficult to understand how things could escalate. But then, everyone reacts to things differently.  

Another aspect Stone looks at is reverse racism, something that is sometimes overlooked. Justyce finds himself connecting with SJ, a girl in his debate class. But she is white. And his mother would not approve of their relationship.

Dear Martin is a story of understanding your identity through society’s eyes.  

Racial discrimination and police brutality to African American youths is an ongoing problem. With stories like Justyce’s, Starr from The Hate U Give, Rashad from All American Boys, Tariq from How It Went Down, and Tyler from Tyler Johnson Was Here, it is becoming more and more evident that this treatment will not stand. These are important voices that need to be heard and understood.

Connections:

Activities:

• Before reading the novel, introduce students to Martin Luther King Jr. Analyze and watch his speeches. How did he conduct himself against those that opposed him? How did he motivate others?
• As students read Dear Martin, have them write letters of their own to Martin or Justyce responding to the events in the book.
• Bring newspaper articles or transcripts from broadcasts about victims of police (or civilian) brutality. Such as Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, and Emmett Till. Have students study the evidence and determine their own opinions on the cases.
• Manny’s friends have their own views of race. Have the students discuss their thoughts on Manny’s friends and their opinions.   
• What do you predict would have happened if Manny lived? How would his life continue to change?

Other Police Brutality/Black Lives Matter Books:

Coles, J. (2018). Tyler Johnson was here. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Rhodes, J. (2018). Ghost boys. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Reynolds, J. & Kiely, B. (2015). All American boys. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Magoon, K. (2014). How it went down. New York: Henry Holt and Company.

Video:

[GetUnderlined]. (2018, October 1). DEAR MARTIN by Nic Stone | Official Book Trailer. [Video File] Retrieved from https://youtu.be/ticM7oVgC5w