Name: Punching the Air
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

like a few fights counts as uncontrollable rage

like everything that I am, that I’ve ever been

with her eyes blindfolded, peeking through slits

Amal Shahid to the left    Jeremy Mathis to the right

is                                is America

   the only thing I can trust     right now

it’s not a classroom, it’s a cell block

it’s not a restroom, it’s open stalls and showers

it’s not a lunchroom, it’s the mess hall

it’s not friends, it’s inmates, felons, and delinquents

But I’m thinking it should’ve been called

Back at East Hills High School for the Arts

blue

I am greatful for eyes that can see, a mouth that can speak, ears that can hear, and a heart full of faith.

It's a quick read, but it packs a punch. The writing is poetic, and the drawings are beautiful. I find it very clever of them to tell Amal's story using his medium. Because of this, the story felt very raw. It sheds light on the darkness of the past and the present without losing hope for the future. I'm so glad I came across this book. 

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.

Lara Engle

Written in verse, Punching the Air punches you in the gut with its emotion and power. The variety of poetic forms keeps readers engaged while the veracity of Salaam's experience enhances Amal's credibility as a character. This book really allows us to understand what is going on in the mind and heart of a young person who is desperately trying to hold on to hope when everything is working against him.

4.5 ☆

Oh man, this was heartbreaking. And it had a lot to say about social injustice. Everyone should go, pick it up!

Steph L 

Joycelyn Ghansah

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.

Jill Niemeier 

Joy KBA

I liked this book, but sometimes, the poem structure put me off because a new sentence started in the same line. But overall a good book, I would definitely recommend if you're in the mood for something easy (and fast) to read

Caylie 

Beautiful writing to tell a beautiful, sobering, touching story.

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.

Alexis 

5/5 Stars 

** I was given this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review** 

Moving, Lyrical, and relevant. That's how I would describe this book. I won't go into too much detail because I believe this is a book everyone should read or listen to. It's very reflective of how justice fails and puts an innocent behind bars. I did listen to this through audiobook format and the Narrator did a fantastic job bringing this book to life. This has that emotional punch for me because again it shows how racist and unfair the justice system is. They've already presumed someone guilty because of the color of their skin. I cannot do this book justice trying to describe it in words. I urge you to go and pick up this book on its release date. This is a story that is true all across the united states, and it needs to be heard.

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.

Punching the Air

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