Author: Kim Johnson
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Book Description: The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.
Every week, seventeen-year-old Tracy Beaumont writes letters to Innocence X, asking the organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row. After seven years, Tracy is running out of time–her dad has only 267 days left. Then the unthinkable happens. The police arrive in the night, and Tracy’s older brother, Jamal, goes from being a bright, promising track star to a “thug” on the run, accused of killing a white girl. Determined to save her brother, Tracy investigates what really happened between Jamal and Angela down at the Pike. But will Tracy and her family survive the uncovering of the skeletons of their Texas town’s racist history that still haunt the present?
Fans of Nic Stone, Tiffany D. Jackson, and Jason Reynolds won’t want to miss this provocative and gripping debut.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: Wow, this book was unbelievable and so very good. It had a very similar feel to The Hate U Give. This is a young adult book that tells the story of the racial injustices of one family. A father on death row for a murder he did not commit, and a brother on the run for a murder he also did not commit.
Tracy is the star of this story, who will do anything to save her father and her brother for be wrongly accused of separate crimes they did not commit. This book was fast paced for the entire story, and I did not want to stop listening.
This book is definitely geared at Young Adults, but it does not make it less riveting. The Audio is phenomenal, and with Bahni Turpin who also narrated The Hate U Give, it is a can’t miss. You will get all the feels as you read/listen to this. Such a powerful story.
Obsessed Bookaholic 