Name: Punching the Air
Rating: 4.481203007518797 (133 reviews)
ISBN: 9780008422158

Ibi Zoboi

Yusef Salaam

From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Perfect for fans of the Noughts & Crosses series and The Hate U Give.

Punching the Air

Lindsay

Favorites:
- "The Thinker"
- "Black Mona Lisa"
- "Blind Justice"
- "Inferno"
- "Processed"
- "DNA"
- "God, The Artist"
- "Pipeline"
- "Microphone"
- "Blind Justice II"

From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds, Walter Dean Myers, and Elizabeth Acevedo. The story that I thought was my life didn't start on the day I was born Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. "Boys just being boys" turns out to be true only when those boys are white. The story that I think will be my life starts today Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal's bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it? With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef 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.

Unti Teen - ABB

Sarah Sammis

It's a relatively quick but emotional read. Amal tries his best to keep his dignity and his patience but it's difficult when the adults in his life — outside of his immediate family — are constantly baiting him. His story highlights the endless micro-aggressions Black people face.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

Melissa Palmer

A young adult verse novel which tells the story of Amal, an African-American boy jailed for something he didn't do. He uses art to express his feelings. High schoolers could easily get into this book.

Kelsey Munson

Hands down, a must-read.

I cried several times reading this book. And then cried some more after I was done. 
This is a beautiful and devastating story that will stay with me for a long time.

Steph L 

This book was so powerful, in the inspiration behind the story, in the lyrical and poetic way the story was told, and the reality of the fiction. 

Jenna Thornton

Isabela H 

I think poetry is starting to grow on me, especially because of books like this. You can feel the emotions of Amal both through the words that he's saying and the way in which he says them. You truly feel like you're a part of him, relating to his experiences, and I loved every second of it.

Stephanie Ridiculous

Whew! I read just a few poems last night, then binged the rest of it today in one sitting.

Novel in verse is my new favorite format & this book blew me away. It's hopeful, emotional, and gripping. I highly recommend.

This was the first non-poetry book I’ve read in verse and it definitely set the bar high. I cried several times while reading and after, and definitely plan to reread this sometime in the future. So well done, and I definitely recommend listening to the audiobook, it’s fantastic. Top book of the year for me, for sure.

Nadine 

A stark reminder of the fundamental unfairness of the criminal justice system and the assumptions made is the least of what this novel has to offer. The bias of (white) well meaning educators who can’t see beyond their own culture & views of what constitutes art ... read it.

Jawahir M


I wanted to tab this book but couldn’t tab a single page because every line written is brilliant and not a single word wasted. This was a symphony of rhyme and rhythm that slipped into your senses and tugged the strings of your heart.

I was even more in awe to find out that some of the lines were actual lines that Yusef Salaam has written during his years of incarceration. This book was nothing short of authentic with a raw vulnerability that is eye-opening as it is creative.



Áróra Lind 

I listened to the audiobook for this and din't really like it as an audiobook. Will buy a physical copy sometime and read it as I think I will enjoy it more that way. Still recommend reading it!

This book blew my mind and opened my eyes to an important issue in today’s times.

Lisa W.

Reality based Fiction; that is truly what this book is. 
Going into this book you acknowledge and understand that this book will be an experience. However it is not until you are immersed in the story that you realize that you feel like you are living this experience. Amal's story is the truth for so many black young men and has been the story for years. 

Punching the air is thought provoking literature that I would love to see shared with middle age boys. There is so much that can be learned from this book whether it exposure to the Muslim faith, the school to pipeline agenda, power of familiar ties, influence of art, etc. 

I can say that I've been holding off on watching when they see us (netflix production) and studying the central park five case. However this book has encouraged me to set aside anxiety and educate myself.

Ghita B

I felt so suffocated and angry a good portion of my time reading this...I almost felt like I was underwater, getting in and out of consciousness and not knowing how to get out of there. 

 Punching the Air  tells the powerful story of Amal as he is arrested for a crime he did not commit. We follow him through his art and experiences of court and juvie. 

 I'm sure you all know the rule of law - innocent until proven guilty.

But with us, it's guilty until proven innocent

Wow.

If you haven't picked this up, definitely grab it ASAP and read it.

I don't even know what else to say. The depth of emotion and the way it was so eloquently portrayed had me crying more than once. Amal does not feel like a character written on the pages, rather a teenager explaining his emotions and the reader feels them in step as they're told. We get a ticket into his mind as he slowly struggles to interpret the events that led him to this current situation and coping with what it all means.

Salam Kabbani

Raw, magnetic, passionate, fearless, humbling, enduring. 

This book was beautiful in so many ways. The writing was art. Literally and figuratively. The fact that it was based on a true story makes me want to punch the air. It is a memoir of the injustices black people have endured in our country, and sadly continue to endure. It shows the ugliness and the cowardliness with which the perpetrators treat the "enemy". I had to read it in several sittings because parts got really dark and heavy. But it is a must read and should be in school libraries, because we need to be informed to be able to influence change. Highly recommend.

Punching the Air

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