Dear Martin

Title: Dear Martin by Nic Stone    

Image:

Genre:  Fiction

Justification:

          Dear Martin was released in 2017. This book won nine awards including 2018 William C. Morris Award Finalist, YALSA 2018 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers Selection, Booklist Top 10 Books for Youth 2017, and Buzzfeed 28 Best YA Books for 2017 (Junior Library Guild, 2018). This book has been features on bookstore displays, on scholastic reading club, and was also A New York Times Bestseller (Stone, 2017). I had heard wonderful things about this book and decided it was time to read it. This book concerned police targeting of African American Males which is a hot topic in todays society.

Evaluation of the book:

The gap between blacks and whites in prisons are shrinking according to the Pew research center in 2017 (Gramlich, 2019). However, that being stated the book has a lot of accuracy. In 2017 39,400 more African Americans were incarcerated verse white males.  African American make up only 12% of the population yet 33% of them are in jail. Meanwhile white’s make up 64% of the population with only 30% of white’s being in jail (Gramlich, 2019). Dear Martin, addresses these disparities in the debate that Jus an SJ have (Stone, 2017, p. 80). They win the debate discussing the racial gap. The book also addresses black killings by police officers. Black’s are killed at three times the rate of white killings by police officers (Lewis, 2019). Manny was killed by an off-duty police officer. He was murdered for playing music too loud in his car. The book draws attention to these frightening statistics and media portrayal. SJ a Jewish woman fights for equality in the debates in Doc’s class. When choosing their topic, she finds “The Myth of the Super predator” which discussed how crimes would skyrocket and became a self-fulfilling prophecy. All the topics in the book has factual date to support them and back up the story.    

The theme of this coming of age book is the disparity between black and white males and police bias. Jus is learning how to deal with being unfairly targeted when he was helping his drunk ex-girlfriend. He is handcuffed and falsely accused of hurting Melo. When his mom tries to help him, they treat him as an adult because he is 17 years old. This unfair bias is not just. When the cops come to interview him, they do not let his mother come because of his age. They treat him like a criminal and try to deny him his rights. Before Manny gets shot, he turns the music down at the light and does not turn it back up until they are driving again. He posts death gets accused of disturbing citizens however he did turn the music down when next to another vehicle. This story talks about the importance of speaking up and looking at the world through multiple viewpoints.

The plot of this book is of a young black man learning to adjust to the bias’s world around him. He writes to Martin Luther King to understand the unfair biases around him. As he grows, he learns about the different paths Blacks have taken the past to deal with biases. Some of these paths deal with language, fighting, and gangs. Jus decides it is not worth joining and gang and that it is a mistake. He also, learns that Martin Luther King Jr had to go through a lot to become the person he is. Jus learns not take anything for granted and it will always be an uphill battle to fight stereotypes and racism.   This plot is applicable for all minorities and people who are different. Everyone needs to learn how to deal with disagreement and how to change the world for better.

Response:

          (b) As a minority I was able to relate to this book. I see the unfair treatment of minorities and biases. I might not be visibly a minority, but I grew up as a White, Jewish girl in El Paso. This place me as the minority in two ways. Being white and Jewish meant I had to represent both cultures. I have watched people make unfair biases because they make assumptions. When I was in college I was in a few multicultural classes. In these classes I learned more about the disparities between races and cultures. I saw friends targeted in stores based on the color of their skin. I watched people in Walmart get stopped based on their skin color while they never asked to see my receipt and stop me. I got pulled over and was shown respect while I watched minorities fear driving one mile off the speed limit. I heard co-workers give their children the talk about what to do when the police pull you over. This book shows how wrong these disparities are. As a society this exposure is important because it will help us put our bias aside and help others. The treatment is wrong but the first step to fixing the problem is to identify the problem.

          (e) Comparisons are a dangerous thing. After reading The Hate U Give, Refugee, and One of Us is Lying Dear Martin did not have the same impact. The other books did a wonderful job covering biases and while Nic Stone wrote an amazing book it did not live up to the standard set by the other books. The message was well done, and the factual evidence was there. The character development needed a little more work. This book will be a must have in a young adult library, but it might not be the first book that is recommended.

          © This book did a great job teaching about biases. While living in a bubble it becomes easy to overlook other people’s challenges. I learned a lot more about how the media will find unfair snapshots of your life. I also, learned how strong the gangs hold is on minority cultures. The most important take away was from Manny’s father. He sat the boys down and talked to them about his challenges. He discussed how he shielded the boys from the racism he endures daily and how it is a constant struggle to better himself and his culture. He lost his job, and son but strove to the be the better person.  This is a message that I will take with me. When life gives you challenges it is important to rise above them.

Conclusion:

          This novel is a must-read novel for minorities. It uses accuracy, theme, and plot to teach how to handle unfair bias and treatment. This book also addresses the unjust murders of minorities and the bias around them. It is a different world based on races and culture and the stigma needs to be broken down so that everyone can be like Martin. The simple journal writing should be an inspiration to find a role model and find their motivation.

Citation:

 

Gramlich, J. (2019, April 30 ). The gap between the number of blacks and whites in prison is shrinking. Retrieved from Pew Research Center: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/04/30/shrinking-gap-between-number-of-blacks-and-whites-in-prison/

Junior Library Guild. (2018). Dear Martin. Retrieved from Junior Library Guild: https://www.juniorlibraryguild.com/book/landing/detailedview?itemcode=9781101939505J

Lewis, T. (2019, December 4 ). Police Killings of Unarmed Black Americans May Affect Health of Black Infants . Retrieved from Scientific American : https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/police-killings-of-unarmed-black-americans-may-affect-health-of-black-infants/

Stone, N. (2017). Dear Martin. New York: Random House Children's Books .

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm