Punching the air

After a sixteen-year-old American boy is convicted of a crime he didn't commit and sent to prison, he struggles to find a way to keep true to himself.

One fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. 'Boys just being boys' turns out to be true only when those boys are white.

Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal Shahid'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.

NOTE : Contains very strong language throughout, and scenes of violence

Amal has been sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit, caged for being a black teen in the wrong place at the wrong time. In utter despair, he turns to his art and poetry to channel his anger and attempt to redeem himself. 

This compelling and lyrical read is written in verse and demonstrates both the systemtic racism faced by African-American men and the redemptive power of art and poetry. Based on real events, this is a passionate rallying cry for social change and a well-written, affecting tale of an individual tragedy. 

An excellent addition to shelves for older teens looking to learn more about  some of the issues behind the Black Lives Matter movement, this is well worth stocking in schools and public libraries. 

Contains very strong language throughout, and scenes of violence