Reviews with content warning for Child death - Dear Martin

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

31 reviews

imstephtacular's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

marabdelmageed's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

rebexrebex's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

mandi4886's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Everyone needs to read this book!

Content Warnings

sisters_reads7's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book is the best book I have ever read!

Content Warnings

jpellwood's review against another edition

4.0

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

valeriabee's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Actively avoiding GoodReads for fear of racist comments that I might find. I read this in a single day. It helps that the book is short. But more than anything, I was attached to Justyce's story. This is another one of those honest books that doesnt shy from the reality of matters or attempt to make the racism palettable. In fact, Nic Stone went IN on the racist comments, mindsets, behaviors. I mean, there are some moments when youre reading what white kids are capable of doing and you think "there is no way they don't see the problem with that" but I know that it's very possible. I have seen and argued with people that were the exact same way as Jared and Blake.

When Justyce got accepted into Yale early admission I was a little sad for him. I live in New Haven, down the street from Yale, I teach Black and brown students who have lived in New Haven their whole life. New Haven itself is diverse, but Yale? Yale is elitist. While it does the bare minimum with diversity and inclusion (which is decidedly different from equity and justice), it is an institution founded on the exclusion of non-white, non-wealthy, non-male. It has improved, but it's a system. Not to mention the overhype of Ivy leagues. I just knew that Justyce would have to keep fighting to feel seen or understood even after graduating from his prep school.

I am very interested in how some characters have grown. I think the end really speaks to what a college education can do for the capacity to think critical and be more open. I, however, will always take a "changed" racist with a grain of salt. It's unsettling. I understand how someone who sits relatively in the middle can he moved, but someone who was so dead set on their prejudices? It makes me wonder if I should or (could) forgive the white boys from my high school who behaved the same as these white boys? But can I forgive myself for the microaggressions I have thrown into the world? Should I be forgiven?
I think Justyce's experiment of Being Like Martin is a great vehicle for asking these questions. Justyce asks himself (or Martin) very difficult questions about how he should move through the world as a black boy. He asks questions about interracial relationships, whether theyre worth it. Dear Martin brings attention to the nature and impact of interpersonal/low-level racism on systemic racism. I am glad this book is as popular as it is because it is a message that deserves to be heard. Especially in a time when Black people are refusing to be used and abused by the system that has continuously attempted to hold them down.

Content Warnings

brookey8888's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Such a powerful read.

I think this book is super important and impactful. I loved Jus and the range of growth and emotion he went through. This book made me laugh, cry, and incredibly angry. I also think the range of characters in this is so important to show all the different perspectives and aspects. The writing style was hard to get used to at first, but once I did it was fine.

Content Warnings