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moonyreadsbystarlight's review
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, and Child death
Minor: Pregnancy
anxiouslybooked's review
4.0
I thought this was a great MG graphic novel that covers a tough subject. There was one part that was kind of confusing to me but when I kept reading it all made sense. Overall I liked it!
lgmaxwell722's review
3.0
How many more black youth have to die before folks start paying attention? Alfonso Jones explores this theme from the after-life after being shot when a security officer mistakes a hanger for a gun. Far fetched? Not really when you think about black folks being targeted for living while black. Medina's work connects to a younger audience without loosing the strong message of loss, anger, and the fight for justice. I would recommend this book for adult readers too who want a different perspective on the Black Lives Matter movement.
jwinchell's review
4.0
An important graphic story of a young black man killed by a white cop while he was shopping for a suit. So much about peaceful protest and speaking out, it is also an elegy to lived wrongfully lost. Quite a bit wobbly in execution- two drawing styles confused me as did quickly changing narratives- the intent ends up being more important. A great read for young readers who loved The Hate U Give.
mbrandmaier's review
4.0
Alfonso’s life is cut short when a police officer shoots him dead because a coat hanger he was holding while trying on clothes in a department store “looked like a gun.” Meanwhile, another mid-20s white male school shooter is escorted unhurt from a school building by police after massacring multiple innocent children. Just another day in America.
bsmorris's review
5.0
This is a must-read. Medina crafts an engaging story about the problem of police brutality, drawing from a number of cases in New York City alone. When I consider the problem nationwide, it's overwhelming. The character of Alfonso Jones interacts with a number of previous victims of police brutality and weaves a fast-paced story that moves back and forth in time and space to demonstrate the essential truth that black lives matter and we need to ensure this truth is respected throughout our society, especially among the police officers who are supposed to keep us safe.
manda2491's review
I Am Alfonso Jones by Tony Medina is a graphic novel about the death of Alfonso Jones, a Black teenage boy, at the hands of police. Yet, instead of focusing on this single event for the tragedy that it is, the novel takes a wider lens to ensure readers know that violence against Black and brown folks has a deep history in the United States and beyond. Alfonso is first pictured as an energetic young boy, hanging out with his mom and friends at school. His dad, Ishmael is incarcerated due to a wrongful conviction, a nod to the many men and women lost to the prison industrial complex. After his murder, Alfonso rides a train with other folks, the ancestors, who are denied their final peace because of the lack of justice in their murders. In the background of the novel, Alfonso’s classmates prepare for hip hop Hamlet, attend protests, and mourn his loss while demanding change in their Harlem community. Ultimately, this is an educational novel about the history of policing and a celebration of the organizers of Black Lives Matter who refuse to be silent in the face of injustice.
This graphic novel is intense! The cover art is an excellent preview of what to expect in the coming pages. I would recommend this book be preceded with a conversation about what to expect and followed by a debrief because it is packed with heavy emotions and descriptions of violence. I think it offers a lot of potential for discussion, especially because a lot of BLM novels portray similar events as a single story rather than a collective reality. I will say that I found some of the story is difficult to follow at times as it jumps around in time and history. The panels are densely packed with monochromatic, caricature-style images, so a close reading is necessary.
This graphic novel is intense! The cover art is an excellent preview of what to expect in the coming pages. I would recommend this book be preceded with a conversation about what to expect and followed by a debrief because it is packed with heavy emotions and descriptions of violence. I think it offers a lot of potential for discussion, especially because a lot of BLM novels portray similar events as a single story rather than a collective reality. I will say that I found some of the story is difficult to follow at times as it jumps around in time and history. The panels are densely packed with monochromatic, caricature-style images, so a close reading is necessary.
ethers_elixirs's review
4.0
A bit disjointed like a series of related vignettes or a book of poems but ultimately the message of the book is just as prescient and potent today as it was when it was published, if not more so now. Genuinely cried at a couple moments. Can't wait to teach this in my classroom!