This is a gorgeous novel that was at times very difficult for me to read. I felt rage, sadness, and a deep sense of pain for the suffering of the Beaumont family and the measures they had to take over many years to prove their dad’s innocence. This novel is just as important to be reading now as it was back during its release in 2020.

For 7 years from her father’s wrongful arrest Tracy wrote letters to Innocence X. She grew up knowing that activism is as a part of her as the air she breaths. Just because she exists and she is Black the world stands against her and judges her. So she joined her schools newspaper and fought to have a social justice section in the paper. She created her own ‘Know Your Rights’ workshops to educate members of her community on what to do if they ever have run ins with the police. She fought hard her whole entire life because she knew what the justice system had done to her family. It broke them apart without looking into the truth of what had happened all those years ago.

I could feel it in Tracy that there was never a time for her to have space to grieve what’d been done to her family and on an even heavier scale when her brother gets accused of murdering Angela. How can she grieve her friend and fight at the same time? It’s a question that she brings up herself in the book. Tracy is so strong and she fought and fought and fought like mad the entire time. She puts herself in scary levels of danger in order to prove her dad and her brother are innocents.

As the book reached toward its end the stakes grow increasingly higher. The danger worsens and as truth comes to light there are more people involved in it all then they imagined. I am glad that it ends in hope and not in tragedy. To be able to feel that our actions will succeed and create change in individual and also the collective lives in our communities is so important. When we commit to doing the work and we make collective actions things will change if ever painfully slow at times.

If you are reading this review please read ‘This is My America’. Not only that, but request it in your libraries. Take note of Kim Johnson’s references in the back of the novel and add those to your reading lists. Educate yourselves and learn how you can take action in your own communities.

America has a deep history of racial injustice. We need to unpack our biases, put aside hate, and do the work to heal within our immediate communities first and then branch out into the larger issues in America.

This is My America, is a wake up call. It is a story of the power of lifting up your voice and not giving up. Read it. Take it in. Take action.

Black Lives Matter. Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow. Forever.

This book is SO needed! Black voices continue to be erased and silenced from the narrative of what it means to be American, and Kim Johnson has written a book that declares "WE ARE HERE! THIS IS OUR AMERICA TOO!"

This book is mind-blowing. It's raw, honest, painful, beautifully written, and insightful. It highlights racism in America truthfully, and it's heart-breaking. Books like this shouldn't exist (meaning there shouldn't be a reason for it) outside of being a dystopian novel.

100% must read! This book is well written and beautiful to read. This is a book that we all should be reading and sharing because the message is so important, especially in today's political and social climates.

I enjoyed this book but it's been awhile since i've read it. I'm trying to update the books on netgalley that i've read already so I can focus more on the ones that I haven't read. I'm hoping to be better about reviewing books as I read them.

Loved this book and it's so accurate about what so many go through. I learned a lot from reading this book and can't wait to see what else she has in store.

A powerful YA book that will be hard to forget with excellent writing and strong characters. Recommend.

This is My America will allow teens to be seen and feel like their experiences are important and necessary. Kim Johnson has her finger on the pulse.

"This Is My America" by Kim Johnson is a standout book. It's not just another story; it's a powerful voice in the conversation about racial justice. It's a book that demands attention, stirs your emotions, and stays with you long after you've turned the last page.

TW: murder, off-the-page lynching (historical), racism, Black trauma, white nationalist groups

This Is My America is more than just a book about a young girl attempting to get her father out of prison. It is a close examination of mass incarceration and how mass incarceration affects families. Quite often we look at mass incarceration from the perspective of those that are being incarcerated never giving a second thought to the family members that are left behind. In This Is My America, Tasha not only fights to deal with the trauma of losing her dad to a faulty justice system, but she also fights to use her voice to help him gain his freedom. This book wasn't always easy to listen to. Sometimes it hits too close to home, but I think it should be read by everyone and taught in classrooms.

On first appearance, This Is My America appears to simply focus on Tasha attempting to contact Innocence X (which is a brief nod to Equal Justice Initiative) to free her father from death row. However, as the novel continues it easily becomes an exploration of so much more. Johnson doesn't shy away from discussing generational trauma, the hypocritical side of interracial dating for Black women, mass incarceration, the faulty justice system, and so much more. Johnson even touches on the danger of being complicit. There was this conversation about how White people also deal with generational trauma when they are raised to become racists. For some, they have an instinctual feeling that it's wrong, but from fear of familial and societal judgment they opt to remain silent and become complicit. While they may not perpetuate racism, they abet those that do. I haven't really seen many YA novels take that perspective into consideration. What is most intriguing about this novel is that Johnson tackles all of these issues, but for some reason, the novel didn't come across as overwhelming. Everything was woven together perfectly.

The real star of this novel was Tracy. She had this unparalleled strength and courage. Not only is she continuously fighting for the freedom of her father, but she also fights to clear the name of her brother after he's accused of killing a white girl. I can only imagine how taxing that could be. To write letter after letter hoping that someone hears your pleas and believes in your fight against a faulty justice system. And Tracy isn't selfish with anything that she learns along the way. She teaches classes in the community that focus on "knowing your rights" when entering any situation involving the police. She remains steadfast in her fight against a system that even for me at times feels impossible to change. It's voiced like hers that make a difference every single way.

This book is unlike any other YA book that centers around the Black experience in the sense that it provides a new perspective. I know that people will be quick to compare it to The Hate U Give and Dear Martin, but honestly, it's not. This nation talks about mass incarceration and how the 13th amendment provides the loophole needed to justify mass incarceration; however, it often forgets about the families it destroys in the process. Black people have struggled with the concept of a nuclear family due to the destruction of families during slavery. Mass incarceration continues to perpetuate that trauma. And Johnson does an excellent job of illustrating that narrative on page. Yes, I know quite often you hear that Black people don't want to read about trauma and that's warranted. You grow tired of hearing one bad thing after another and Jamal (Tracy's brother) makes that very clear in this book. However, this book crafts it in a way that opens the gateway for important conversations, and new conversations.

My only criticism of this book would probably be in the dynamic between Quincy, Tracy, and Dean. I understand why the love triangle was included. It's a great insight into interracial dating and the interesting dynamic that interracial dating brings Black women vs. Black men as well as dating that's laced with past trauma. However, I feel as though both Quincy and Dean had this constant need to save Tracy that was unwarranted and almost took away from her strength as a character. Other than that I thought that this book was amazing. I mean I absolutely loved it and can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy. If you haven't heard of this book please pick it up now!

This book is going on my top ten list for this year, no questions asked. I wish I would have gotten copies for my two boys so that we could have read this together as a family. In fact, I will still buy them each their own copy so they can read it and we can discuss as a family.

The Beaumont family has already been displaced from New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina and now they must deal with the horrid racism in Texas. No matter how hard Jamal has worked to become a star athlete and not be the poster child for the "child of a convict" campaign, all his hard work is thrown out the moment he is considered a suspect in a crime. His sister Tracy is already doing everything that she can to try to bring their father home from a death row sentence. He received this sentence for a crime he did not commit. Time is running down for him and now she has to prove that her brother is innocent.

One of my favorite moments in the story is when Tracy is holding one of her workshops and they are discussing how a black person should act when encountering the police. I loved this scene and it broke my heart at the same time because this scene is one black parents know all too well. I want to thank Mrs. Johnson for writing this story. I want to thank her for showing that the fight against racism isn't just about police brutality. It is something that is fought at every aspect of life. It is even a battle against the people who don't even realize or want to realize that they are racist. This is the book that needs to be added to school curriculums.

As a brown person in America who has (of course) had to deal with blatant racism, this book was way too familiar for me. While I was reading this book I could "feel" the characters' thoughts and emotions. This is a REAL book that had me in tears at times. I even had to take a long break from reading it because even though it is written fiction, the story here happens in real life all the time. I was triggered, to say the least.


A powerful book that had me hooked from the beginning (I get bored easily with books to that's saying something!). I think this book should be one that could be an assigned read in public schools. All public schools - even the all-white ones!

I highly recommend.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and to the author for this read!

I really wanted to read this but I didn't rate it. The writing was hard to get through and it was hard to continue to read because of it. I ended up dnfing this book early on.

While I was reading this book I honestly felt like it was extremely political. I really just wanted to get it finished and didn't feel connected to the characters. I did try to reread it a few months later and sadly still didn't enjoy it.

This is such an important story to read!! I really recommend. This book really illustrates what it feels like to be Black in America. A very accurate portrayal of America's justice system.

“This is My America” by Kim Johnson was a powerful, emotional, gripping story and I couldn’t put it down. Just absolutely phenomenal. Highly recommend!

This Is My America is a heart-wrenching portrayal of the injustice of the US "justice system". Tracy Beaumont is just trying to get through high school and clear her father's name when her brother also gets caught up in a crime. This is a "pulled from the headlines" title addressing race, class, and gender in a way that makes it extremely accessible for teenagers (and adults too!). This is a perfect read for a book club or classroom setting where conversations can happen surrounding these issues.

This is two mysteries in one as a teen strives to save first her father and then her brother from injustice. Written in first person, readers will both admire and be afraid for Tracy as she stands up and stands out in her community and at school. The mostly even-paced story speeds up during scenes of danger and then slows down for reflection and family moments. There are plenty of positive adults in the story, so she is supported, but respected for her convictions. There is a love triangle that will keep readers guessing, but it is solved in a believable way. A great standalone for teens and young adults.

Thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the e-galley. I listened to the released audiobook for this review. My ratings and reviews are my own.

Content Warnings: racism, murder (not on page), racially-motivated acts including posting a burning cross and an attack on a home, police brutality mentioned, scene with a gun

This novel would be a great book for any high school to take on as a school-wide read. Johnson's debut novel is fast-paced with memorable characters. Tracey's been fighting for her father's freedom for seven years and as the window is starting to close, her brother is accused of murder. This book shines a light on the systemic racism that is tearing apart communities all over the country. A must-read.

This is My America was simply incredible. If you enjoyed The Hate U Give and Dear Martin, then this book needs to be added to your TBR right away.

I am amazed at this being the debut novel from Kim Johnson. With the way the story unravels, I would have thought she was a seasoned writer with multiple books out. She does such a beautiful job at creating the characters and bringing them to life while designing a story that is complex and intricate. Johnson uses her characters to show that racism is still prevalent today, as well as how unfair the justice system is for Black men

I loved how Johnson created and included Innocence X, a fictionalized version of The Innocence Project, into the story. It really helped readers to learn about racial injustice within the justice system.

This Is My America was so powerful and I think it should be required reading in high schools. It brushes some intense and emotional topics, but in doing so, it raises much needed awareness.