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Tyler Johnson Was Here Paperback – 11 April 2019
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When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.
The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead and the cops blame the shooting, a video is leaked online that tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.
After participating in the 13-house auction for The Hate U Give, now a runaway success, quite a lot of us agree that Angie Thomas's novel is "the one that got away"--but with the astronomical success of The Hate U Give, it's clear that there's a gap readers are hungry to see filled: very real novels that comment on race relations in America today. Tyler Johnson Was Here is an opportunity to add to the conversation on race and police brutality in America, and the debut author--a 21-year-old activist himself--has a strong voice for today's youth.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- Publication date11 April 2019
- Grade level4 - 12
- Reading age14 - 17 years
- Dimensions13.97 x 2.22 x 20.96 cm
- ISBN-100316472182
- ISBN-13978-0316472180
- Lexile measureHL800L
Product description
Review
* "Unforgettable.... Coles' exploration of brotherhood, grief, friendship, and familial ties is as moving and relevant as its exploration of racism."--Booklist, starred review
"Tyler Johnson Was Here refuses to pull its punches. Marvin's story will remake you. The careful prose, the heartbreaking story, but also the triumph of a young man in the face of an often lightless world. Jay Coles delivers the first book in what will be an illuminating career."--Scott Reintgen, author of Nyxia
"A distressing yet empowering portrait of a black teenager confronting relentless racism, brutality, and tragedy."--Publishers Weekly
"An impactful story.... Stirring and heartbreaking."--The Bulletin
"An unflinching look at police brutality and systemic racism in America."--Bustle
"Clear-eyed, authentic, and heartfelt, Tyler Johnson Was Here is a captivating must-read."--Karen M. McManus, New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying
"Coles...pens an immersive and uncompromising look at systemic police violence in the U.S., effectively dramatizing the human experience and ethical questions underpinning today's Movement for Black Lives."--Kirkus Reviews
"Coles's contemporary novel addresses real issues facing black teens in the U.S. today, and is a powerful story full of heart, packing a deep emotional punch."--VOYA
"Exploring the current climate of police brutality and viral culture, this harrowing YA effort is based on its author's own experiences with tragedy and loss, a personal touch felt across every page."--Entertainment Weekly
"Gripping from the very first scene, Tyler Johnson Was Here is a powerful and vulnerable immersion into the lives of people who are too rarely given a voice."--Adi Alsaid, author of Let's Get Lost and Never Always Sometimes
"Jay Coles' powerful, anguished debut novel...garners worthy comparisons to 2017's award-winning The Hate U Give."--BookPage
"Riveting...Coles evaluates self-identity in African Americans, police brutality, stereotypes, prejudice, social justice, education, poverty and more. At times endearing, and at times, excruciating to read, it is a very important novel."--The Washington Missourian
"Uncompromising and intense, this heart-wrenching novel sends out an anguished cry for justice to all who are willing to hear."--Shelf Awareness
An Entertainment Weekly Most Anticipated Book of the Year
Book Description
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : Little, Brown Young Readers US; Reprint edition (11 April 2019)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0316472182
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316472180
- Reading age : 14 - 17 years
- Dimensions : 13.97 x 2.22 x 20.96 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,453,139 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer reviews:
About the author

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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 November 2019Broke my heart then put it back together again.
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 26 October 2020This item was not new as stated nig bend in the back of the book not impressed
Top reviews from other countries
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philReviewed in Belgium on 30 January 2023
3.0 out of 5 stars Defauts
Défauts sur certaines pages
philDefauts
Reviewed in Belgium on 30 January 2023
Images in this review
- M KillianReviewed in the United States on 30 May 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars A timely and yet timeless subject
The cover absolutely reflects the heart of this really powerful, heartbreaking Own Voices story as Marvin tries to remember who his twin brother Tyler really was and makes it his mission to have the rest of the world see Tyler in the same light, not as who the police and/or media make him out to be. Marvin wants the world to know that Tyler mattered. I really wanted to learn the outcome of the trial, to find out if the cop who shot Tyler would be punished as he should be, but I realized that either way, that wasn't the point. This kind of violence will never stop until white people (especially cops) start seeing marginalized people as human beings, not as The Other. We are all on the same team and it's about time we started acting like it! Black and brown people matter. You matter!
- BookwormReviewed in Germany on 14 July 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning and beautiful
I have seen this book being compared to several other stories and I am not going to go there. Not because this book isn’t “good enough” to stand on its own, but because it is. And I’ve seen most comparisons being made with the intention to take away from how *essential* this story is. It really and truly is, because it comes with an emotional sledgehammer the size of a million broken hearts.
It doesn’t come with an intricate plot that goes straight from point A to B, taking you by the hand and gently guiding you through the twists and turns with a gentle pat on the back. That’s not what this book is about, and it’s not the book to read when you want a soft narrative to converse over at a dinner party. And I don’t think it is meant to be. What it does come with is ugly truths and brutal honesty in spades. The gentleness of Cole’s writing is always there, for the characters and their pain, for their communities and their loved ones. For Marvin and Tyler. For the reader it still remains brutal, as it should be. A spear to the heart and a knife to the comforting world you might be living in if you’re privileged and removed enough.
I imagine this book has made and will make a lot of readers uncomfortable, and it is a discomfort we need to sit with. Us who are not black and can never really understand, but should be trying every day. The beauty of this book for me personally was that it brought the pain, the desolation, the fear and the despair right under my skin and made it settle there without effort. Without making it into a spectacle to cobsume. Just a myriad of feelings to feel my way through. It had me sitting with it, cutting myself to pieces on it, rebuilding my mind around it in a way that is an incredible thing for a book to do, and also something I wish everyone would experience at least once.
There was also a budding romance rooted in shared grief, anger and fear. There were light moments, beautiful moments, gentle moments. It wasn’t all pain and despair, it was… life, portrayed in a brutal, honest and beautiful way, with simple words and clear prose that just *burrows* right into your heart and never leaves you fully.
CW: police brutality, violence, gun violence, death, racism, anti-blackness
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RikaReviewed in Germany on 31 July 2020
4.0 out of 5 stars Super für jeden der sich mit BLM auseinandersetzen will
Wer noch ein Buch zur Black Lives Matter Bewegung sucht, sollte sich dieses hier mal anschauen. Den es ist nicht nur wunderschön gestaltet, es liest sich trotz des schweren Themas auch ganz leicht.
Tyler Johnson was here
Die Black Lives Matter Bewegung ist in meiner Buchbubble schon wieder abgeflacht, wie zu erwarten. Ich selbst bin da nicht besser, so sehr ich versuche mich mit dem Thema ständig auseinander zu setzen, es ist zu einfach in alte Gewohnheiten zurückzufallen. Aber zum Glück hatte ich mir ein paar Bücher zu dem Thema gekauft, die mich immer wieder motivieren und daran erinnern, das nicht zu vergessen und konstant an mir zu arbeiten.
Die Black Lives Matter Bewegung hat auch in der Buchbubble gezeigt, dass wir was tun können. Wir können uns weiter bilden und mehr Bücher von nicht weißen Autoren kaufen. Denn ganz schlicht gesagt, die Verlage veröffentlichen was gekauft wird. Und wenn wir diverser kaufen und lesen, dann werden Bücher auch diverser, aber da müssen wir uns unserer Verantwortung bewusst werden und nicht alles auf den Verlag schieben. Das ist nicht einfach, aber wir schaffen das. Und genau dafür sind wir Buchblogger, Bookstagramer und Booktuber, und was für Plattformen es sonst noch so gibt, da. Deshalb hier ein Buch das rundum die Black Lives Matter Thematik spielt.
Tyler Johnson was here
In diesem Buch geht es um Marvin Johnson. Er ist ein ziemlicher Nerd, sein Zwillingsbruder Tyler nicht, die beiden sind so gegensätzlich wie Tag und Nacht. Und doch sind die beiden Bruder sich so nah, wie es selten Geschwister sind. Nach einer Party kommt Tyler nicht wieder nach Hause. Und so beginnt die Marvins Suche nach seinem Bruder und Gerechtigkeit für seinen Bruder.
Dieses Buch ist kurz, mit knapp 300 Seiten und einer ziemlich großen Schrift ist das Buch beendet bevor man es sich wirklich gemütlich gemacht hat. Aber das schadet dem Buch nicht, den es ist immer noch so viel Inhalt auf den wenigen Seiten. Und eigentlich sind 300 Seiten auch nicht wenig, es fühlt sich hier nur wenig an, weil man es schnell lesen kann, selbst als nicht Muttersprachler.
Tyler Johnson was here
Die Handlung an sich war okay, etwas vorhersehbar, aber trotzdem an den richtigen Stellen emotional. Nur mit der Länge hat das Buch ziemlich gekämpft, denn einige Stellen waren meiner Meinung zu lang gezogen und andere zu knapp abgearbeitet. So fand ich den Anfang zu lang, durch den Klappentext wissen wir alle was passiert, aber es dauert 70 Seiten bis das passiert, bei nur 290 Seiten eine Ewigkeit. Und das Ende war mir zu abrupt. Es ist zu viel zu schnell passiert, einige Entscheidungen hätten meiner Meinung nach mehr Erklärung gebraucht um auch dem Leser komplett schlüssig zu erscheinen.
Zu den Charakteren kann ich nun nicht so großartig viel sagen, sie waren okay. Nicht besonders gut oder schlecht, es gab Diversität ohne das man das Gefühl hatte, das ist nun die Quoten LGBTQ+ Person. Eine Sache, die ich zuerst nicht glauben konnte, war das fast jede BIPOC Person in diesem Buch schon mit Polizeigewalt zu tun hatte. Ein erschreckender Fakt.
Mein Fazit zu „Tyler Johnson was here“
Ein durch und durch gutes Buch, durch die Black Lives Matter Thematik hochaktuell und mit einem wunderschönen Cover ein richtiger Hingucker. Es ist das perfekte Buch, wenn man sich mit BLM auseinandersetzen will, aber nicht unbedingt ein Sachbuch lesen will. Denn Fakten sind eine Sache, beschrieben zu sehen, wie es das Leben von Menschen ändert eine andere.
- asuiterclarkeReviewed in the United States on 11 May 2018
5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning, raw, heart-wrenching debut
“Sometimes people need reminding that they matter, more than they need reminding that they’re alive, because sometimes being alive just isn’t enough.”
I could not put this book down—devoured it in two days, spending the latter half mostly in tears. Coles has a way of slipping these lines into his prose that are just so poignant and visual, it’s like a punch to the chest.
“I tell myself that I love this skin, that I’ve always loved my blackness, that if the world doesn’t love me, I will love myself for the both of us.”
A stunning, raw, heart-wrenching debut.