Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam is a novel in verse. Poetry is a powerful artform. In a poem titled Movie Star:
"The people who know me/ really know me/ are not the ones/ the judge and jury want to hear from
It's as if they wanted to hear a story about/ some other kid/ It's as if they wanted to watch a movie about/ some other kid
The prosecutor, with his fancy words/ his hard evidence/ wrote the script, directed the scene/ cast just the right actor/ to play this kid from the hood/ who beat up a white kid really bad/ so bad/ that he can't wake up/ to tell the truth"
we learn about Amal's innocence and the injustice of the legal system.

#BLM #IndyPLTeens

Zoboi and Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both. This is a powerful book full of emotion. Not only does it address institutional racism but also the transformation power of art.

An amazing must-read verse novel about the tragic consequences on individual lives of the school to prison pipeline...and the transformative power of art.

A very powerful impactful book. This will leave an impression on you.

Powerful. Be prepared. This book is not written in a traditional fashion. The power lies in the physical placement of the authors’ words. It is a “must read” during these times for all of us in this country. We must hear this voice in order to change our system and change the lives of our youth.

Sixteen-year-old Amal is an artist, poet, student, friend, potential boyfriend. Does that change when he is wrongly convicted of leaving a white kid within an inch of his life? The judge and jury did not hear the whole story, partly because the “victim” is still in a coma. But because he’s Black, apparently he’s also guilty. This novel in verse co-written by award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, tells the all-too-common story of the way Black boys and men are treated by our police, judicial and correctional system. Phenomenal.

Reviewers have said that the authors have crafted a powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration through the imagined experience of Amal, a Black, Muslim 16-year-old facing imprisonment. The authors uses free verse and experiment with style, structure, and repetition.

Punching the Air is a very special book, joining an already powerful lineup of YA literature in verse. The story centers on Amal, a Black muslim teen who is convicted of a crime he did not commit. Although his name means “hope,” Amal is bitter—angry. His art teacher testifies to his disruptiveness in class, but should he be blamed for speaking out when all the artists they study are old white men? The representation of Amal’s frustration and the accessible and relatable format—I hope—will allow this book to speak to those who need it most. When he’s finally given the chance to express himself through art, Amal soars.