Welcome to Litsy!

Think I‘m behind on the #12booksof2024 so this is my October pick. I finally read Dear Martin & this one—in time to meet Nic Stone at a book fair. Loved both, but this one hit me just a bit more because of kids I have worked with. @Andrew65

While I was still processing Dear Martin, I wanted to listen to this one. The story of Quan, who‘s in juvie for murdering a cop, & his contacts with Justyce. TWs for domestic violence, gangs, gun violence. This book is one I can relate to because I used to work in a school with these types of boys (poor, poc, trauma in fams). I have thought about my 3 Black boys from that school who have died before they were 18 in the last few yrs. The school 👇

3.75 Stars

Powerful and thought-provoking.

#14books14weeks

#bookhaul3 #sorrynotsorry
Although, really, what am I doing with all these books when I retire?

I have complicated feelings about this book. Nic Stone does a fantastic job of showing the why behind black men looking for non-traditional families. What I struggle with is the amount of aid Quan receives while in juvie (she mentions this in the afterword): psychiatrist, teacher, etc. These are not usually options, especially when in an adult prison which is where too many teenage black men end up. Still, it is a story of hope against all odds.

What a great duology! In a lot of ways I related to this one more than Dear Martin, which made the things about it that seemed unrealistic more glaring, so I was glad when the author decided to address those things in her afterward and touch on why she made those choices. #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville

A strong sequel following a character from the first book who had much less support, and yet this book too is hopeful, full of lovable characters, and even more than the first imagines a better world. If there's ever a surprise book #3, I'm reading it too! #AuthorAMonth @Soubhiville #Audiobook

For most of #SuperSeptember I will be visiting family so won‘t have a lot of dedicated reading time. I am only packing 2 physical books but taking a fully loaded kindle and audio library just in case. All but The Night Always Comes are for buddy reads, etc.

Love this laid back readathon hosted by @Andrew65 What will you be reading?

I didn‘t love this quite as much as Dear Martin — but it‘s plot is much more memorable for the sheer number of kids without support systems who live it every day. 🫶🏻 #AuthorAMonth

Another wonderful book by Nic Stone to follow on from Dear Martin. Didn‘t think I‘d enjoy this one as much, but it quickly had me hooked! Such important reads both of the books. A very sad and shameful indictment on our society. #AuthorAMonth

3rd book read for September.

Following loving Dear Martin, I‘ve moved straight onto the sequel by Nic Stone.
#AuthorAMonth

This is a follow up to Dear Martin that Nic Stone didn‘t plan to write. She was asked for what happened after that book, and also for a book about a kid with less opportunity than Justyce, and so she chose Quan.

Nic Stone‘s writing is engaging, and I listened to this all in one day. I‘d recommend both this and Dear Martin, for adults and teens.

You may want to look up Trigger Warnings first.

Painful but such an important read. Don‘t know how it took me so long to get to this after reading Dear Martin.

Very good too!

Whew, this one was hard to read, but so captivating that it kept drawing me in. Quan and Justyce are interesting and their friendship kept me engaged. Besides, I‘m a sucker for a happy ending.

The sequel to Dear Martin and while I liked that one slightly better this was was also powerful. A vivid portrayal of how our system fails and what it is going to take to change it!

I would read anything Stone writes! Sequel to Dear Martin, this one focuses on Quan-a friend/protege of the MC in the first novel. Quan writes from prison to Justyce, who is now a law student.

#doublespin @TheAromaofBooks

I have to say, even though I liked this book, I liked Dear Martin more. But I admire the fact that within all the darn and sad stories Nic Stone writes there‘s always happy endings. For this one I feel like the timeline was wack, and it would have been better if there had been dates on the points in time. I can‘t do a plot summery because This one would be really hard to describe, but this was a great book. 5⭐️

#2021Book31
I almost read this whole book in one sitting, but I had to walk away for a while to collect my thoughts. The way the main character is treated by those around him made me furious and broke my heart, especially realizing that these things happen to people in real life every single day. While I loved Dear Martin, I think Dear Justyce is a way more important read and can open more eyes to what's going on in our world right now.

While Dear Martin remains my favorite of the two, this was a powerful, engrossing story that made me care about the main character and worry for his future. If I had any real complaint, it would simply be that it ended too quickly.

My full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3497231137

A powerful, short read & a well-crafted work. A little sunnier & “convenient“ compared to average reality, but interesting & well done. The voice of Quan feels authentic in terms of age & maturity/educational level. I highly recommend reading this immediately after Dear Martin, as important information from the first novel is not reintroduced fully. Presents a unique POV & information that highlights the need for improvements in social justice.

Wow, I think I love Dear Justyce even more than Dear Martin. These books are phenomenal, you should read them both!!

Book 12 of 2021. I had no intention of finishing this in basically one sitting, but it was so powerful that I couldn‘t put it down. This is the follow up to Dear Martin, and features Quan, who is in a juvenile detention center after being accused of killing a cop. Definitely not an easy read, but a necessary one. It reminded me that ALL kids need someone to believe in them. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really want to read her books!

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CLBYMMZgOeM/?igshid=126b1v2w57zkp

Very powerful ❤️

Between “Concrete Rose” and “Dear Justyce,” I‘ve been in my feelings all day. Both of these books are just...they‘re so important. Nic Stone has done it again. 😭 #dearjustyce #nicstone #dearmartin

Such a powerful book about the kids that are just trying to make it when everything is against them. As good as the book is, the author note at the end is even better and needs to be read. For anyone who needs to hear it today- I have faith in you.

Couldn‘t really put a finger on the plot. Was still good, yes, but I had trouble with the essence of Quan in a holding cell. I thought I got it, but it slipped by. Missed opportunity with talking about the gang mentality, as I thought that was the starting point. I‘m thinking it was written for a younger audience, as it was really well, written simply. A great way to introduce the criminal justice system for young black boys, mainly by stereotypes

Nic Stone talks about writing a sequel to Dear Martin b/c incarcerated young men wrote to say they wanted to see themselves in a book. This is about Quan, a childhood friend of Justyce who doesn‘t have the support that Justyce does in the first book. It is a great story that would be good for readers of Just Mercy because it shows injustice caused by systemic racism and inequality in the legal system. Be sure to read both of the author‘s notes.

Someone wasn‘t happy I wasn‘t giving them attention.
This is an interesting story, of which I am not completely sold in yet. We‘re following Quan, basically an African American boy who gets left behind to fend for himself. Which leads to an eventual joining of a local “almost” gang, which leads to a major crime being done. Leaving Quan again, essentially left alone again.
Also, if it wasn‘t 10 degrees out, I‘d be reading by light of the full moon

Thanks @JaneyWaneyB for the Too Five Books tag. Here are my top five books I read in 2020:
1.Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
2.Dear Justyce by Nic Stone
3.The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
4.The Keeper by Jessica Moor
5.Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Happy 2021 !!!

Such a powerful book. This is a very important book talking about the reality of our criminal justice system and what the majority of the POC teens face - if they get into any sort of trouble, they are treated like adults, compared to their white peers. PLEASE read this book, even if you haven‘t read Dear Martin.

In many ways I enjoyed this book more than Dear Martin. I liked the format in which it was written, as well as the storyline. I also love that Nic Stone had no intention of writing a sequel to Dear Martin but did this at the request of a couple of young black men who wanted a story with a character like them. This book not only tells a story of one young man, but highlights how the system is truly against all black men.

There‘s a lot of great deals on kindle today. I grabbed the tagged one. Deacon King Kong was great.

Maya's middle school has many families impacted by Covid this year; 40% of the student population typically qualifies for free or reduced lunches.

They have been remote learning since March 😫, so this year's Scholastic Book Fair is virtual. Anyone can shop, and you get free shipping if you spend $25.

If you're looking for books for kids for the holidays, please consider shopping here! https://www.scholastic.com/bf/piedmontopenibmiddleschool1

This is a book that makes you angry and makes you think. It is about a boy caught up in the school to prison pipeline who is traumatized and treated like he's already grown, when he had never been parented in the first place.

2nd book finished for
#NovelNovember #Readathon
@Andrew65

Such an important, much needed book. I loved it just as much as Dear Martin and hope that Dear Justyce joins it as a required reading book at my school.

Pages in the light of the Christmas tree while I listen to the tagged book. #DogsofLitsy

While I didn't sob reading Quan's story like I did Justyce's in Dear Martin, it, too, felt ripped from the headlines and too often true. Too non-fiction instead of fiction. Lens titles like these let me see through the window to experience, and then enbolden me to speak up and out about the inequalities today. The influences you can have on others may not be known, appreciated, and received in the moment but supporting one another is life-long.

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone is a great YA own voices novel about the American juvenile justice system. I love Nic Stone‘s novels. I have read Dear Martin and now Dear Justyce. Both gave me the perspective of black teenagers. Stone‘s characters seem so real. None of her characters are all good or all bad. Her style of writing really gets you in the character‘s head.

Full review: https://justreadingjess.wordpress.com/2020/11/10/dear-justyce/

I did not enjoy as much as “Dear Martin”, I don‘t think this one was quite as impactful or moving. I was also a bit irritated the way this was written grammatically as was “Dear Martin”.

I did not enjoy this as much as Dear Martin. The story seemed too lighthearted for a book addressing such dark themes. However, I think it‘s an important story and conversation starter. #blitsy #ya #representationmatters

♥️♥️ Nic Stone ♥️♥️

Found I did not love this as much as Dear Martin, but still very good.

Another wonderful and painful story written by Nic Stone. After being labeled a delinquent all his life, Quan winds up in jail and tries to figure out who he is.

I've shared my love for Nic Stone's Dear Martin all over the internet—I think it is such a powerful foundation for conversations with teenagers about police violence, racism, and justice. I'm sure it will be no surprise, then, that I was INCREDIBLY excited to see Nic Stone's announcement of a sequel, Dear Justyce. (No worries! This will be a spoiler-free review of book two.)⠀
⠀
Check out my full review at unabridgedpod.com!

Enjoying the rooftop view while out on the farm. #whereiread

Listened to this in audio since that's how I read Dear Martin and Dion Graham is a fabulous narrator. I think this can be read without reading Dear Martin, although the events of Dear Martin are clearly involved here. Quan was a wonderful character to get to know, and it was nice getting glimpses of Justyce, SJ, Doc, and even Jared.

Nic Stone does it again. I feel like these books should be required reading. Stone said she had no plans on writing a follow up book to Dear Martin. But when she was talking to some of her mentees they wanted her to write a book about them. About teens that don‘t go to good colleges, go to jail and are wrongly accused. So she said she had to write this book and I am so glad she did. We need to see the flawed justice system.