I think this book is all the more powerful because it is written in verse – the lack of words mean that every one is used to the best effect. We then witness the frankly horrific conditions he has to face when he arrives at the juvenile detention centre, the treatment he receives from the officers and other inmates and the violence he suffers as he tries to just survive. We start at the trial and the disbelief he and his mother feel as he is found guilty. You can find her review here.Īmal is just 16 when he is sent to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Having already brought myself a copy, I also brought a copy for the lovely Kerrie over at I Loved Reading This so we could do a buddy read together. This book has been raved about all over Instagram and as I am a lover of stories told using verse (Sarah Crossan being an absolute favourite of mine), I knew this would be a powerful read.
Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison.
“Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Published by: HarperCollins Children’s BooksĪmal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
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