Wow, what a book!! This is the first book that I have read in verse, and oh my!!!! I loved all the poetry throughout this story! Some words have definitely stuck with me!
The main topic of this book is something that needs to be spoken more about, it is moving, heartbreaking and incredibly important! I genuinely needed to stop myself reading and take a few moments as I was so incredibly moved by them 😭
It is just so beautifully written!!
This book is actually based around the true events of One of the authors of this book - 'Yusef Salaam'. He was only 15 years old when he was falsely imprisoned & lost 10 years of his life. So you know reading this that there is so much truth behind the words.
This book is about a boy who tries to maintain his humanity & also fight for the truth, which you seem that the system is built to strip him of both. This book also covers a failing US system that's drastically needs to change!!
This is a heartbreaking, moving, beautiful book & I recommend everyone to read it!!!
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From the Publisher
My name is Amal, and Amal means hope
Dr. Yusef Salaam was just fifteen years old when his life was upended after being wrongly convicted with four other boys in the “Central Park jogger” case. In 2002, after the young men spent years of their lives behind bars, their sentences were overturned. Now known as the Exonerated Five, their story has been documented in Ava DuVernay’s highly acclaimed series When They See Us.
In partnership with award-winning author of American Street and Black Enough, Ibi Zoboi, Punching the Air draws on Yusef's experiences to tell the heartrending story of Amal, a sixteen-year-old art student and poet whose life is completely upended after one fateful night...
Praise for Punching the Air
- "A powerful novel-in-verse...required reading for all ages" - Oprah Magazine
- "As generous as it is cutting. Poignant and full of fire." - Steven Camden, author of Nobody Real
- "A powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration" - Publishers Weekly
About the author
Moving and profound story
Inspired by real events, this novel in verses is a moving story about a boy who tries to maintain his humanity while the system tries to charge him for a crime he didn’t commit.“I’m sure you all knowThe rule of law -Innocent until proven guiltyBut with us, it’sGuilty until proven innocent.”I have to be honest I wasn’t 100% sure about picking up this book because of the format used, but I’m so glad I did and I can guarantee that probably it’s the writing style itself as well to make it so powerful and profound. The story and the message get through in a direct manner.When it comes these kind of stories I always struggle to write a review, cause often I feel so upset about the injustice that certain communities have to endure and I wish that one day we can really break this circle cause I honestly can’t think how in 2021 there is still so much discrimination.If you decide to read this book, I highly suggest you follow up watching the Netflix series When they see us.
Top reviews from United Kingdom
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- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 April 2021
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 September 2020
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2020
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 March 2021
- Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 October 2020
Top reviews from other countries
- RandaReviewed in Canada on 22 February 2021
If books had souls, this book has a beautiful one
- ThebookbellaReviewed in the United States on 11 September 2020
A power narrative about Instutionalized racism and rising above it.
This is a YA story about Amal Shahid, who is a black Muslim accused of beating his white classmate into a coma. He stands trial and is convicted by everyone, and sentenced to juvie.ThebookbellaA power narrative about Instutionalized racism and rising above it.
Reviewed in the United States on 11 September 2020
Amal is an artist, he has aspirations to go to an art college and make a living out of making art. But when he is convicted, he feels all of that has slipped through his fingers.
This book is extremely powerful and intense and I really loved it. It had a steady rhythm in both the points of systematic racism that this book touches upon, as well as the Amal's emotional narrative about his heritage. This touched upon many things that are currently being brought to light in the Black Lives Matter movement and this is extremely relevant to our time.
I do love this but being that this is a book told completely in verse I think its powerful narrative could have been amplified further if I had consumed it as an audio book rather than in physical book form. As much as I love this book, it is definitely meant to be heard and not seen. These verses follow that of spoken word poetry and I might consume it again in the future through my ears rather than through my eyes.
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