Punching the Air

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

Text from the back cover:

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet.  But even in a diverse art school, he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system.  Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy.  Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal's bright future is upended:  he 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?  Award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a 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. 

Visit Ibi Zoboi's author page.

Visit Dr. Yusef Salaam's website.

Ms. Sharp's quick review:  Emotionally difficult but inspiring.