Punching the Air

by Ibi Zoboi

Other authorsYusef Salaam (Author)

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Call number

813.6

Genres

All Topics

Fiction

General Fiction

Publication

Balzer Bray (2021), 400 pages

Description

Poetry. Suspense. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: New York Times and USA Today bestseller * Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor * Walter Award Winner * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Time Magazine Best Book of the Year * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * New York Public Library Best Book of the Year 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. A must-read 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, because of a biased system he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated. 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 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..… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member LibrarianRyan

This book was fantastic. It’s a collaboration between Ibi Zobi and Yusef Salaam, best known as an inspirational speaker and one of the exonerated five. This is not Yusef’s story, but it has similarities. Amal was wrongfully convicted. A mediocre lawyer and another boy in a coma lead to his

guilty verdict and time in a juvenile facility. The words flow so well. It’s almost a shame I didn’t read this novel in verse, but the lyrical quality of the audiobook is like the best song ever heard. The reader is enveloped in the story. We follow Amal through the court battle, and then through his time locked up. My guy is a corrections officer and found himself just as engaged as i was. He freely said, it’s sad, but many institutions are like this. And Tattoo should be the first staff member “defunded”. Uggghhhh. To think people like that work with juveniles. I love that Amal didn’t give up. That he kept learning, both by books, and about himself. Amal was not a “thug”, but a student of life at the wrong place and the wrong time. This was a fantastic listen, and I am sure the read is just as great. This will be on many best of best lists, as well as genre and subject lists for years to come.

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LibraryThing member SJGirl

As is often the case with books in verse, I was so impressed with the level of depth the authors achieved with so few words.

There’s something of a mystery unfolding through this novel as gradually Amal reveals what happened the night of the alleged crime that sent him to juvenile hall, but for

the most part this is the story of life in juvie, it’s as tough to read about as it should be, just as the narrative is as honest as we all need to be about the inequities in the justice and education system (his art history teacher is particularly maddening). So yeah, generally, this is not a fun read, but it is a thoughtful and thought-provoking read.

While Punching The Air features plenty of heavy subject matter, Amal does experience moments of light as well through a handful of people who truly care about him (from his life before prison and his life inside), through books, and most importantly to him, through poetry and art, as hopeless as parts of this book can feel, there is some genuine joy in the rare occasions when Amal has the freedom to create, what a difference even a broken crayon makes to his day, how it lifts him up even if only for a moment, it’s a beautiful thing in a story about how ugly world can be.

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LibraryThing member Hccpsk

A gorgeous piece of art, Punching the Air deserves all the accolades and attention it is receiving. Acclaimed YA author Ibi Zoboi and Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam have collaborated to write this beautiful novel-in-verse that tells the story of Amal, a Muslim teen accused of attempted murder

during a street fight. The authors push the boundaries of free verse and storytelling in the best way, and the results are emotional and a painful exploration of our white supremacist judicial system.

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LibraryThing member ecataldi

This book gets you RILED up - the injustice of it all will have readers angrily turning pages and looking for the hope and beauty in an impossible situation. Written in poetry and prose with art interspersed throughout - Amal's story of how he became incarcerated is powerful and painful. A young

Black teen in the wrong place at the wrong time he is now paying the ultimate price. He's unfairly convicted of a crime that he didn't commit and it's hard to keep from drowning in the biased, uninspiring detention facility. Why is the system stacked so hard against him? Will art and poetry save him or will it just drag him down? I would LOVE to discuss this book at a juvenile detention facility - the kids in there would relate so hard to this book. I hope that after covid this book is an option I can bring to the table - their insight and personal experiences would bring so much to the table. A fantastic and powerful book.

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LibraryThing member ewyatt

Amal tells his story of a fight gone wrong, an arrest, trial, and his time in juvenile detention. A promising artist - he uses his art and words as a way to tell his truth and try to stay free. But people around him keep putting him in boxes. With a strong correlation between school and jail, Amal

tries to adjust to his current reality. His supportive family feed his spirit and mind. But it's hard. The poetry is sparse and powerful. Yusef Salaam brings his experience as a partner in this collaboration to this story.

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LibraryThing member holdenkillfield

Powerful and an absolute must-read for children and adults. I'm still thinking about this book trying to organize my feelings into a coherent thought. It was very impactful and takes the reader on an emotional journey.

LibraryThing member reader1009

audiobook teen novel in verse inspired by real people/stories (wrongful incarceration of Black Muslim artist/poet teen, story of hope)

LibraryThing member RandyMorgan

Amal Shahid is an aspiring artist and poet. Umi, his mother, is a fierce woman who is Amal’s strength during his trials. He is wrongfully convicted and expresses his experiences with the inequities of the judicial system. Anal documents the discrepancy between himself and his white counterpart.

Punching the Air is the story of a benevolent boy who fights for the truth through a system designed to suppress it. Because of Yusef Salaam’s similar experience with the judicial system; these poems are blunt, innovative, and powerful. Ethan and Ibi do an excellent job articulating the severity of the situation and depth of emotions. Punching the Air is a captivating young adult read that is reflective of current times.

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