Dear Martin

12:00 am 24 December 2017

3.5
I've seen it said that this is a great companion to [b:The Hate U Give|32075671|The Hate U Give|Angie Thomas|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1476284759s/32075671.jpg|49638190] and I'd agree. The formatting is clever, alternating between letters and using the classroom to jam-pack social commentary into this short YA novel.

The problem for me was that while this was clever, and age appropriate, it didn't break my heart like other books with similar themes. I didn't quite have the emotional investment.

That said, I'm an adult, and having been interested in American Inequality especially with respect to race for nearly all of my adult life, the social commentary wasn't new or ground breaking to me, so all that was left was the characters, and the story doesn't really feel built around that for someone my age.

I think younger readers need to read this; I think everyone should read this. It is clever, it does help with arguments if you aren't used to this topic, and it shows a variety of struggles and realities facing black and African-American (particularly males) in our country. My main criticism that it doesn't go deep enough with the issues or the characters is simply a function of my own interest level and age.

Sam's Reading: A Work in Progress

Dear Martin

Blog

Shelf

Timeline

Currently reading

Recently added