BOOK REVIEW: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

An innocent young man.

Handcuffs.

Finding solace in the writings and teaching of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Racial profiling.

Trying to get over the injustice of life.

Disagreements.

Shots fired.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone tackles all of the above issues with the grace and poise to make the characters and their emotions come alive on the page.

As an honor student at a private high school, Justyce McAllister should be enjoying his senior year of high school. However, from various racially motivated shootings from around the country, he begins to question, wonder, what is his place? So, he begins writing to Martin Luther King Jr.

After he himself was racially profiled and wrongly put in handcuffs, Justyce begins to realize the US has a race relations problem, and that by not talking about it, not voicing an opinion about it, is hurting the country, and all people in the long run.

So, he begins to talk about it. He tries to get others to talk about it, but not everyone sees racial inequality the same way.

And then when his best friend is murdered, and Justyce must relive that moment over and over, and wonder if he were different, if this would have happened, as a reader, you want to grab him out of the book and say, "I'm sorry."

Stone's ability to hit the cultural inequity in this country was profound. I can't describe it, but I wish I could teach it. There are so many conversations that could, SHOULD, be happening in reference to this book.

RATED: 5 Stars

NOTE: I bought and paid for the book on my own, and did not receive any compensation for this review.