Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam made me ball my fists in anger and rage against the systemic racism embedded in the United States. This novel made me alternatively cry tears of sorrow at the injustices that Amal faces and smile at the beauty of the structure of the novel and smile at the little victories that Amal does get. This story creates a pretty bleak social commentary on the school system (school to prison pipeline), how some are found guilty and must be proven innocent (justice system inequities) and the treatment of PEOPLE in juvenile detention centers. There's one guard who has a tattoo that continues to haunt me...

This novel is told in verse. It's a powerful format for this story. The "Lights On" and "Lights Off" chapters were extremely effective in telling the story of Amal. The way the words are placed in each poem are strategic and well thought out. Students would be able to analyze form and structure in this novel easily. It enhances the meaning of each poem. Verse compliments the narrative in hauntingly beautiful manner.

By the end of the novel, you'll be punching the air, the walls boxing you in or your pillow in frustration. The challenge is what will the reader do after reading this novel. The gauntlet has been thrown down. What will be done about the injustices contained within these pages.

Thank you so so so much for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this absolutely incredible book! I heard the authors speak about it at SLJ Teen Live and it made me so excited to read it. I don't even have words to describe how incredible this book is, and I truly think it is one of the most important books of the year, or maybe the decade, or maybe ever. This book gives amazing insight into the experience of incarcerated teens, and the experience of black youth in general. It is also totally relatable for those who haven't been in the exact situations that Amal is in, and the amount of emotional depth that is expressed in this book is simply staggering. The poetry is beautiful, rhythmic, piercing, and is the perfect way to tell the story that is being told here. I've also heard that the finished edition will have illustrations which the e-galley did not have, and I can only imagine that those will add even more to the story and the experience of reading it. This book continues to stick in my mind long after I have finished reading it, and I think I will continue to think about it and process it for a long time to come. I highly highly recommend this to everyone!!

*review cross-posted on NetGalley and Edelweiss+ (I got approved for ARCs on both platforms)*

Wow there is a lot to take in and digest here. This book, with its beautiful poetry and language, is about one of the most distasteful things in America, the unjust incarceration of so many young black men and the school to prison pipeline that puts them there. This book hit home as an educator especially when young Amal talks about a teacher who hated him and even spoke against him at his tribal. Amal uses his words and his art to express himself but sometimes his rage overtakes him and he can’t use either of those to say what needs to be said and he uses his fists. Amal is innocent and no one will listen and so he vows to “punch a hole in the sky”. This book is beautiful and important and timely, an absolute must read!

READ! THIS! BOOK!

I am increasingly convinced that the prose-poetic hybrid novel is the highest form of YA literature. In fragments and in verse, the tumult and rage and beauty of adolescence can be conveyed without smacking of melodrama. Amal's urgent story leaps off the page. I read this in one sitting, spellbound on my fire escape.

Convicted of a crime he didn't commit, sensitive and talented Amal is sent to a juvenile detention center, where he has to find a way not to let his anger destroy him.

A "Down These Mean Streets" for the 21st century and a GREAT introduction for young readers to the concept of prison abolition. A stunning collaboration between the brilliant Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam, a prison reform activist and one of the Exonerated Five.

This book is available in 4 weeks and it's not soon enough. I fell in love with Ibi Zoboi's writing after Pride. The honor of reading her words with Dr. Yusef Salaam in this piece of fiction has me wondering...what is truly fiction in this story? Haven't thousands of black boys lived it?

This book in verse tells the story of Amal, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We go with him to prison, meet those who believe his story and those who don't, walk with his poetry and art, share mistakes and misgivings. Because of the verse, the story is accessible to even reluctant readers. Important, because this story needs to be told again and again until this country realizes Black Lives Matter.

"The 13th Amendment. Then she writes some words. Dr. Bennyu nods. Y'all should know this, he says, Y'all should really understand this."
And so should we all.

Earlier this week, a friend taught me about Jean-Michel Basquiat. In this book, Amal is alluded to being as a "young Basquiat." So thankful to be able to put these images into the story.

I will recommend this to middle school and up. There is profanity, but it only makes the story more real. This is a must read.

I'm so thankful to have been able to read #PunchingTheAir. I'm thankful to be able to share Ibi Zoboi's words and Yusef Salaam's inspiration in our school library. Through this story, teens will be able not only to follow the story of a fictional character Amal, but also make connections to the Exonerated Five among others. Each chapter of this verse novel is beautiful in its own right: critiques and criticisms of American education, the school-to-prison pipeline, gentrification, and more. In addition, Amal's story is riveting in the people and events in his life. This is a must-read. Thank you to the publishers and #NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This book was excellent, I'll read anything Ibi Zoboi writes. Teaming up with Yusef Salaam makes this even better. I've read a few books that are written in verse and this is one of the best ones. Amal was an excellent character in the way he was able to articulate his emotions through his writing and his art. I wish I could see some of the art he creates throughout the book. I also appreciated the way that Amal challenges the world around him throughout the novel (example: Amal challenging his AP Art History teacher about only learning out white European artists).

As a teacher I could see writing a mini unit on the prison industrial complex using this book and the documentaries "13th" and "When They See Us." Teachers can also use this novel to to analyze how damaging Ms. Rinaldi was, even though this teacher (likely) thought she was helpful to Amal. Excellent book, 10/10 recommend.

At the age of 16, Amal Shahid's life takes a turn he never expected. A talented and creative student, Amal is an artist and poet, but what ends up defining him is his blackness. When an altercation takes place in his neighborhood where lines have been drawn and invisible borders have been built, he is convicted of a crime that he didn't commit and his words and art become the only solace in his caged world.

So
I am ink
He is paper
I am pencil
He is notebook
I am text
He is screen
I am paint
He is canvas
I am man
He is boy
I am criminal
He is victim
I am alive
He is almost dead
I am black
He is white

Amal's tells his story of broken systems - school, incarceration, and "injustice" - as he strives to retain his humanity and dignity.

This is a powerful novel in verse that fans of Jason Reynolds, Nic Stone, and Jacqueline Wilson will devour in one sitting (like me!)
To be released Sept. 1, 2020.

The verse in this book was absolutely beautiful. Rhythmic and haunting, this language sits in your soul. And young Amal, with all of his complexities, was just such an amazingly developed character. The hope and despair on every page made me cry.

One of my favorite YA picks of 2017 was Ibi Zoboi's "American Street", so when I saw this was coming out this year, I snagged it on NetGalley ASAP. When I realized it was written with one of the now-men who were wrongfully convicted and later exonerated for the rape and assault in Central Park in 1989, I was even more excited.

Told in verse, this book centers on Amal Shahid -- a young black boy convicted for a crime he didn't commit. He is a victim of wrong place, wrong time, but also racial profiling gentrification, the school-to-prison pipeline, and other types of institutional racism. Salaam and Zoboi deftly tell his story from his conviction to his time spent in a juvenile detention center, exploring the inner and outer conflicts he faces. What stuck with me most is the inability for young black boys to make a single mistake without facing dire consequences.

Occasionally I'm not a fan of books in verse. They can often be overly poetic to the point that the story is lost, or not poetic enough that the verse format just seems like a gimmick. While reading this one, I started to make a list of all of my favorite chapters from this book, but had to stop when I realized that my list would be massive. There are so many well-written parts of this YA book that could be unpacked, but the story itself is also worth exploring. As a teacher, I could picture teaching this or giving this to kids as an option for literature circles or independent reading. It is incredibly relevant and well written.

📚 Review: Punching the Air Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

“But still, like dust, I’ll rise.” Maya Angelou’s words, the same words his Umi made him shout proudly back to her as a young boy, take on a whole new meaning for 16-year-old Amal when he’s bussed off to a juvenile detention facility after being found guilty, labeled a monster, only seen through blinded eyes of those he needed to see that color is how masterpieces are made.

Amal is a talented artist and poet failed time and time again by an oppressive system and people claiming to give him a chance but only on their terms. His art teacher, his principal, his lawyer, people meant to protect him, see him to his fullest potential, clipped his wings. Amal was labeled violent after a fight in the fifth grade, his only fight, until that night. But it didn’t matter. And now Amal must find his truth inside the walls that are slowly closing in on him. He knows he must do it alone, there’s no other choice, right?

Zoboi’s collaboration with Salaam, one of the Exonerated Five, is an absolute masterpiece. Writing this novel in verse makes it hit harder, will have your stomach lurch with every blow. The imagery will have you sitting next to Kadon, painting with Amal, writing letters with Zenobia, and hearing the BANG of the heavy metal doors shutting in your dreams.

Order this novel right now so it’ll be in your hands on release. I don’t want kids to wait to read it, I don’t want adults to wait to read it. In short, everyone should read it and think about the part you play in the system. After you think about it, sit in your discomfort for a bit and then think about what you can do to start to transform it. I, for one, will be sharing this book in my classroom library and encouraging my students to talk about injustices in the world and what they can do to change the future. What will you do?

5/5 ⭐️

It’s easy to talk about the need to reform the justice system. It’s an entirely different thing to empower & embolden the all-too-often voiceless to lay their souls bare to help understand why change is so necessary. This book does that. Drawing inspiration from the Scottsboro Boys, the Jena Six case, & the exonerated five, Zoboi & Salaam weave a carefully balanced heart-breaking & at times, uplifting poetic narrative that brings humanity to the prison system.

Amal is the example of so many male students who with one incident get marked as a “troubled student.” This book addresses being a Black boy who is artistic, smart and college bound but due to systematic racism is found guilty for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Amal talks about the similarities between the school and prison that makes readers realize the prison pipeline is all too real.

This book is important. It shows the perspective of a Black high school boy who is not given the benefit of the doubt, who does struggle with emotions (as all teens do) but is assumed to be violent because he's Black. I'm definitely adding this to my classroom library and will offer it in lit circles. I think this would pair well with Monster (Walter Dean Myers) and Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson).

*copy via Netgalley*

Powerful. Emotional. Devastating. Those are only a few words to describe Punching the Air, a novel in verse. Ibi Zoboi co-writes with Yusef Salaam, one of the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five. (Make sure to check out the letter to the reader at the beginning of this book.). Their story is about Amal, a boy who is convicted of a crime and is sent to juvenile detention. The writing - imagery, word choice, symbolism, and style- is phenomenal. Readers will feel the pain, anger, hopelessness, and determination of Amal as he faces trial, is prosecuted, and spends his time in the juvenile detention facility. This is a must read!

Thank you to the authors, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I completely expected a work from Zoboi to be phenomenal (it was). She is a brilliant writer. I was also excited to see what she would do with a novel in verse, as that's not her normal format (magic. That's what she did). This was extremely compelling, had a main character that jumped off the page, and addressed very unpleasant truths that could create weeks of discussions. I can't give the weight and gravitas to the issues of race relations and mass incarceration that Zoboi can. I can say that it angers me, infuriates me, and makes me want to see a world where punishments are based in rehabilitation more than in retribution (and are administered fairly with no consideration for race or belief). So why one star less than perfect? I don't feel it had a satisfactory conclusion, or really any conclusion. So many real stories of wrongful imprisonment end in tragic ways or with a hushed up release to make white people feel better about their mistakes, a fictional story can give me a conclusive and pleasant ending, right? Right...? Still. Holy cow, this book. I'm going to be thinking on this one for a bit.

4 stars

In this fantastic verse novel, readers follow Amal from his experiences in court through his immediate incarceration for his role in an assault. From the start, it's clear that there is more to this story than authorities around him are taking into account, that he is being severely punished for his actual behaviors, and that his outcomes stem from people's perceptions of him.

This novel is such a quick read, and while the rapid flow made the challenging content slightly easier to stomach, I would have loved to see a bit more through the flashbacks and possibly toward the end. It would have been interesting to gain more insight into some of the employees as well as fellow incarcerated kids, too. In short, I really enjoyed this: enough to want to see more of and from it.

I'll be recommending this novel for students and colleagues alike: a worthwhile read for sure.