About Dear Justyce

by Nic Stone

What Cleveland Heights Students had to say about Dear Justyce


  • This book really relates to so many of the things that happen in this current day, and it really made me think about it a lot. It made me realize that I should be thankful for the things I have because I could have been in the position Quan was in but I am not. This book was filled with so much heart and had things that I could relate to. - Dannel

  • I think that the book is very interesting and I would like to read more about it. There should be a movie about it. -Manny

  • I feel like I can relate to certain parts of the book. - Durell

  • It was such a riveting book to read and had me on the edge of my seat. The realism in the book portrayed such a great example of this silly world we live in. -Scottlyn

  • I admired how the book is set up. With separating blank pages, snapshots, words close together and words far apart. It was a very unique touch to the book. I have
    never seen that before. - Aniya

  • This fantastic book is something special. I enjoyed every little part of it. - Thomas

  • I loved the book, Dear Justyce. I loved how the author made Quan’s life seem so real and so sad, at the same time. - Elijah

  • My favorite parts of the book were the moments he picked his mind apart and every moment Justyce was by his side. Though they weren’t together, they still remained friends. And Quan stayed real and was not jealous or blaming Justyce because he turned out different. The best part of the book was Quan’s moment of realization about the rocket ship. - Kristyn

  • I really like the book Dear Justyce because it is very interesting and it made me wonder what was gonna happen next. And it also surprised me in some cases. I really liked the book because it is kind of relatable being a young black man in America living in the hood. It is not really a place you want to be in society. - Anthony


The story, Dear Justyce, by Nic Stone, is about a young man, Quan, who struggles at an early age to find the support every child should have growing up. This lack of support leads to a situation for which he is arrested and incarcerated in a youth detention center. As Quan awaits his trial, his friend Justyce McAllister arranges for a group of people to fully support Quan: a teacher helping him get his GED, a lawyer wanting to represent Quan pro bono, a social worker intern and a psychologist who helps him understand his past trauma. Through these people, Quan begins to learn what real power is, and where power comes from.

From Amazon's Website:

An NPR Best Book of the Year * The stunning sequel to the criticically acclaimed, #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin. An incarcerated teen writes letters to his best friend about his experiences in the American juvenile justice system.

An unflinching look into the tragically flawed practices and silenced voices in the American juvenile justice system.

Vernell LaQuan Banks and Justyce McAllister grew up a block apart in the Southwest Atlanta neighborhood of Wynwood Heights. Years later, though, Justyce walks the illustrious halls of Yale University . . . and Quan sits behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center.

Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justyce--the protagonist of Dear Martin--Quan's story takes form. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school give rise to police encounters and tough decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a weapon with Quan's prints on it. What leads a bright kid down a road to a murder charge? Not even Quan is sure.