Although categorized as a young adult novel, Nic Stone's narrative transcends age boundaries and presents a compelling, relevant tale that I believe everyone should experience. In this book, Stone masterfully crafts the story of Jared, a character whose journey is essential reading—particularly for white audiences. Jared's experiences are crafted with a remarkable blend of authenticity and relatability, portraying a character who, despite his best efforts, is imperfect and continually learning.

Stone's narrative doesn't shy away from the uncomfortable; it plunges into the heart of challenging conversations about privilege and systemic inequities. Jared, surrounded by a circle of genuine and honest friends, navigates through various encounters and obstacles that challenge him to reevaluate his perspectives and confront his privilege. This process of questioning, failing, and striving for better encapsulates the difficult yet necessary work of self-improvement and social awareness that the book advocates.

This story is not merely a narrative but a mirror held up to the reader, urging a reflection on personal biases and a call to action toward personal and collective change. It is a pivotal read that encourages the reader to continue the hard but vital work of introspection and reform. I highly recommend it to readers of all ages as a must-read that challenges, educates, and inspires.

I am a big fan of Nic Stone's work and, as a white woman, appreciated how her Dear Martin has had me examine my own privilege and challenges with kindness, genteelness, and understanding that this is a process. The trilogy's final book, *Dear Manny*, continues the story through the perspective of a white character, Jared. Throughout the trilogy, we have witnessed Jared's growth as he learns from the harmful stereotypes he was raised with and strives to become an ally. This latest installment follows his journey in college, alongside his friends from the previous two novels, as Jared faces tough lessons about building character. He contrasts his current worldview with those of individuals who see others as inferior and wish to maintain their privilege at the expense of others.

This book is not only thought-provoking but also timely, especially given the current polarization in the USA and a political climate that seems more divisive than healing. The experiences and outcomes of their class election draw striking parallels to the recent presidential election. Much like the first two books in the series, I strongly recommend this book to everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third, and according to the author, final book in this trilogy that began with Dear Martin. My students, I have taught Dear Martin, for years were excited for this book but felt a bit frustrated when I told them that it was going to be from Jared’s point of view. Why? Because they hated him- he seemed on a trajectory of growth in the second books but still- would anyone root for him? The answer for me reading this book was yes, I was rooting for Jared to acknowledge the tough things about himself, the ugly things in fact, that no white person wants to admit to. These are truths that society and privilege have taught and have to be actively unlearned and I believe that is a learning curve, but the best and only thing people can do is to continue to learn, to grow, to ask people to be brutally honest with them and to be better. This world we live in has gotten scarier and more hatful in the past week, books like this one, and the others in this trilogy, are absolutely crucial to society becoming better. I loved the book, it made me think about harsh truths about myself, I hope others will so in the “uncomfortable silence” as Jared reminds himself to do to grow and always learn.

The final book in this YA series:
“Because the only person I gotta spend my life with is me.”
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Jared has decided to run against his nemesis for Junior Class President, but when he realizes a third candidate enters the mix, he’s thrown for a loop. When it turns out Dylan M. Coleman is female, Black and stunningly gorgeous, Jared is instantly smitten. Through a class assignment in Constitutional Law, he gets to know Dylan better, but as the election continues he realizes she has secrets, just like he does. Jared, our anti-hero, makes many mistakes in his journey to escape his past and make better decisions for his future, but his privilege and feelings for Dylan are getting in the way.
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There are no words for how much I loved this novel! This entire series is a gift to the young adult readers’ community. I love that this was set later, when our main characters are now in college. Jared has had some time to change (still has lots of work to do), but I found myself rooting for him and seeing the kind of human he could be. I want every white teen to read this story, ESPECIALLY now, because we need to do better. White people: we have to do better. This amazing, life-changing book releases March 4.

CW: sexual assault, physical assault, racism, sexism, classism, arrest, death (recounted), grief, loss, alcohol, public intoxication, cheating, DUI, microaggressions

I've enjoyed Nic Stone's books and have all of them in our HS school library, so I was excited to read this ARC of #DearManny. This final installment of the Dear Martin trilogy doesn't require you to have read the previous two books--and it's been a while since I have read them both--but it is helpful if they are more fresh in your head to get the full effect and understand all of the references. This story follows Jared, a white boy from the previous books, who is now in college and roommates with Justyce. He is running for student class president and wrestling with the things he has learned over the past few years about race and privilege; however, through the course of this election, and his experiences with Dylan, a black student who is also running for office, Jared continues to demonstrate that he still has work to do as he makes mistakes and harms others and himself. Stone, in the Author's Note, explains how she took on this "third-person" perspective of a white boy to explore him as a character, but also to challenge the book bans of her book and others and to cause others to reflect. An important book for an important time, as always. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the ARC.

Dear Manny is yet another masterpiece by Nic Stone. Jared, who we met in Dear Martin and Dear Justyce, has grown tremendously from the entitled piece of work who first graced the pages. Now, as a well-intentioned ally- he has to face down the reality of his privilege as he runs for junior-class president of his college. Against a boy who he knows represents the worst of everyone and a girl who deserves to win but likely cannot. As he struggles to make the "right" decisions, Jared continuously struggles to be the good person he wants to be when the other path would be so much more comfortable. Jared, upon a suggestion from Justyce, begins to write letters to his deceased best friend Manny as he works through his feelings about everything happening around him.
Nic Stone is an incredible story teller and builds in the reader a combination of empathy and disgust, often both for the same character, that carries you through the end- hoping that everything will end in a way that satisfies. Oh, and don't forget those heart-wrenching moments she oh-so-skillfully weaves in perfectly.

I am torn about the writing of Jared's story- a flawed character who is growing and learning- as we hope all people will. But as the publication of this book approaches and Stone posts on social media "When they ban your stories about Black boys... so you send the same message through a white boy"- it reinforces how many people are not growing and learning. I appreciate Jared's story and loved reading it. But we shouldn't need it. We shouldn't be struggling through book challenges and bans and moving backward in our universal understanding of race, bias, prejudice, and everything carried along with them. Don't take that to mean this book isn't of the highest quality- because it is. Instead, think about what you can do to support authors like Stone and the messages we, and all the young readers, very much need through the point of view of Black boys and girls.