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A review by rachelbookdragon
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
5.0
Dear Martin is one of my favorite books, so when I was gifted a copy by a fellow reader who had an ARC (thank you!) I immediately picked it up to devour. Such a short book delivering a gut punch of a message. Nic shows how easy it is that without the right support system for young people and with systemic racism presenting limited options for Black youth, how easy it is to end up like Quan, the protagonist, behind bars before the age of 18.
In YA, people talk all the time about found families and how special they are, but yet it’s rare to hear people compare that to gang life and how easy it is to get wrapped up in that found family and become loyal to a fault when one’s own family cannot be there for you, whether they’re incarcerated, in a bad situation, or one’s home is a traumatic place to be. And yet, by reaching out to his friend Justyce, Quan finds the support of a legal team, teacher, and counselor that Nic cites in her letter from the author as being the most unrealistic part of the book. Quan’s story is so many teens’ realities, as the author explains in the first few pages of the book.
I thought this book was spectacularly written, detailing out a life and the choices and circumstances that led to Quan’s life behind bars. In this story and in his letters and flashbacks, he’s able to reflect on moments that devalued him, moments where he needed support, and the choices he made amidst everything that he regrets, and yet how he couldn’t see another choice in the circumstances he had. I especially appreciate how traumas from his youth are discussed in terms of mental health and anxiety throughout the book. I hope that in particular helps other teens recognize their own mental health needs.
I appreciated seeing familiar characters from Dear Martin come back in this book with a lot of growth (or just more of their excellence like Doc and SJ). Justyce and Jared continue to grow as characters and it was great to read, as their insights are fuel for much of the humor in the book that caused me to laugh out loud while reading.
I am so glad this book exists and that it can be used as a vehicle for understanding, empathy, and hope. I definitely recommend reading it once it is released on September 29th, 2020.
In YA, people talk all the time about found families and how special they are, but yet it’s rare to hear people compare that to gang life and how easy it is to get wrapped up in that found family and become loyal to a fault when one’s own family cannot be there for you, whether they’re incarcerated, in a bad situation, or one’s home is a traumatic place to be. And yet, by reaching out to his friend Justyce, Quan finds the support of a legal team, teacher, and counselor that Nic cites in her letter from the author as being the most unrealistic part of the book. Quan’s story is so many teens’ realities, as the author explains in the first few pages of the book.
I thought this book was spectacularly written, detailing out a life and the choices and circumstances that led to Quan’s life behind bars. In this story and in his letters and flashbacks, he’s able to reflect on moments that devalued him, moments where he needed support, and the choices he made amidst everything that he regrets, and yet how he couldn’t see another choice in the circumstances he had. I especially appreciate how traumas from his youth are discussed in terms of mental health and anxiety throughout the book. I hope that in particular helps other teens recognize their own mental health needs.
I appreciated seeing familiar characters from Dear Martin come back in this book with a lot of growth (or just more of their excellence like Doc and SJ). Justyce and Jared continue to grow as characters and it was great to read, as their insights are fuel for much of the humor in the book that caused me to laugh out loud while reading.
I am so glad this book exists and that it can be used as a vehicle for understanding, empathy, and hope. I definitely recommend reading it once it is released on September 29th, 2020.