Dear Martin and The Hate U Give

The issues of police brutality and racial inequities in the justice system have been in the news continually over the past few years , and two recent books deal with the experiences of African-American teens in the shadow of the search for justice. Dear Martin by Nic Stone, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, both feature a high-achieving protagonist in an affluent, mostly-white high school who is forced to reckon with the realities of race relations in America when their communities are rocked by the police shooting of a young black man. In Dear Martin, Justyce's quest to emulate the nonviolent strength of Martin Luther King is upended by his own undeserved run-in with law enforcement, while in The Hate U Give, Starr becomes an unwitting witness and needs to decide how (or whether) she will stand up.

Both books portray complex characters making challenging decisions against the backdrop of friends and family with very different experiences, and a society that views their struggle as either false or not worth a protest. Each brings a different perspective to an essential topic, while also bringing a gripping, well-told story. Highly recommended.