The message is important, but I didn't like the pacing of the story. I was given access to this for Indigo's Teen SPOTM decision group. (I didn't vote for this because it felt derivative of The Hate U Give, but the writing/pacing weren't where I wanted them to be.)

this book was everything. i still don't have a finished copy and that makes me so so so sad. i love this book a lot and it's one that will stay with me for a long time. i adore everything that this book is.

The fallout and protests following police choking George Floyd to death in Minnesota has consumed social media for the last week, but it had only just started when I read Tyler Johnson Was Here. But let’s be real, police brutality against Black people is so common that if I’d read this book at any other time, it would have overlapped with another case. Last month, it was Ahmaud Arbery’s death (which, admittedly, was caused by a retired cop and his son, not an active cop). In March, it was Breonna Taylor, shot 8 times in her own home by police during a no-knock raid. In Ahmaud’s case, it took his death’s footage getting out three months later just to get his killers arrested and charged!

I don’t have to tell anyone how messed up it is that we have to release the footage of someone’s death to even possibly get them justice, retraumatizing every Black person who sees the footage. That’s exactly the situation Marvin Johnson is put through when a cop kills his brother and a young woman catches it all on camera.

Marvin and Tyler are twins, but they’re very different boys. Marvin aced his SATs and he’s got strong interest from MIT; Tyler just started selling drugs for a local gang to bring in some money for their family since their dad is in jail for illegal narcotics possession and capital murder (and, according to Marvin, it’s a wrongful conviction). Where Marvin capitulates when threatened by police, Tyler challenges them. Tyler’s death doesn’t happen for about half the book, so readers get time to experience him and feel the kind of loss Marvin and his mom feel when he dies.

The palpable grief Tyler’s family feels is the strongest part of the novel by far. When his mom and brother worry themselves sick over Tyler’s disappearance, leave an empty place for him at the table, and spread out his ashes, the emotion of it all grabs at the part of you that hurts from losing someone. It’ll almost certainly bring you to tears.

The same subtleties of emotion are nowhere to be found where the police are concerned, which is just fine. Yes, there are cops who aren’t complete pieces of garbage. For instance, Marvin and Tyler’s aunt Nicola. BUT. Some cops are just bad and racist, y’all. They’re not always complicated people. They’re just plain garbage and we shouldn’t idolize a broken, corrupt institution just because you met a single decent cop once. As of press time, Greg Doucette has gathered 259 instances and counting of police rioting and making brutal attacks against press members and protestors across the United States. JUST FROM THE LAST WEEK. As the author has said this book was inspired by events in his childhood and life, I’d be really awful to question a Black person’s lived experiences, especially as a white woman.

BLACK LIVES FUCKING MATTER.

Tyler Johnson Was Here is something of a minimalist novel as well. Coles doesn’t linger on descriptions of places and people, which can leave you without a strong picture of Sterling Heights but also helps heighten the novel’s most emotional moments. Seeing as the deceased is Tyler’s brother and not one of his friends, the emotions hit differently than in its excellent contemporaries and read-alikes The Hate U Give and Dear Martin.

That minimalism also leaves a lot of unanswered questions as details are mentioned and then swept over. We know what Marvin and Tyler’s father is in prison for and Marvin asserts that the man was wrongfully convicted, but he doesn’t say anything else about it. Similarly, detectives only inform Tyler’s family of his death and discovery days after he disappeared, but he was shot dead the same night by a police officer and his mother reported him missing the next day. Did the cop that killed him hide his body, delaying discovery? Did police find him the same night and deliberately withhold Tyler’s body from his mother for a few days? I reread large portions of the book looking for these answers, but I couldn’t find them.

There’s a lot about Tyler Johnson Was Here that could be stronger had it sewn up those holes in the story, but it’s strongly written book that remains relevant two years after its publication. If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was published last month. If you want a book that shows the police as they are–awful, racist, in service of the ruling class rather than in service of the people they “protect”, protected from censure by one another and their corrupt unions and their horrific contracts–this novel will get you fired up and may serve as a form of release.

Please donate to Black Lives Matter and bail funds across the nation if you can. If you can’t, find other ways to support protestors.

BLACK. LIVES. MATTER.

I loved reading Tyler Johnson was here. I learned from it, and it was very well-written. I'll definitely recommend it to teens.

Thank you for the opportunity of reading this book. It was sad and great, at the same time. A great read for the socially conscious.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fraternal twins Marvin and Tyler Johnson know what to do if they ever encounter a police officer; don’t make waves, keep your head down, stay out of it. As African American teens, they know all too well what it means to be young and black living in America. Where Marvin tends to lean towards the geeky and has two best friends that do the same, Tyler becomes friends with Johntae, a notorious teen who sells drugs and seems to always be in trouble.

One night, Tyler persuades Marvin join him at a party Johntae is throwing against his gut feeling that they should stay far away. Things escalate, shots are fired, and while Marvin and his close friends make it out and home, Tyler doesn’t come home that night. Marvin is sure it’ll be a matter of time until he gets home, but hours turn in to days, and then the worst news possible happens: Tyler is dead. Then, a video is posted anonymously; a cop shot and killed Tyler as he was walking home from the party. Everything in Marvin’s life turns upside down, how can he go on without his brother?

As a white female, I cannot even begin to imagine the life that millions live each day because of the color of their skin. Marvin and Tyler’s story is one that many young men are living today. It is real, it is hard to read about, and it is so disgusting that it is a reality many are facing every day. Marvin’s voice come through so clearly, the fear and hatred he encounters, the tough reality his family is living with, and the way he chooses to fight for the memory of his brother. I flew through this story, reading it in a manner of hours. I think it will appeal to many teens and while there is a small sex scene, it is still age appropriate for teens. Highly recommended.

Great read. Comparable to The Hate You Give. The authentic voice by Jay Coles made this an especially chilling story.

A fantastic book that continues the heartbreaking conversation of what is happening to our youth. I was thrilled to book talk it to students and see them fall into the pages as well.

If I were to judge this book by its cover alone, I would give it a raving five stars. Sadly, that is not the case. There were a few things I liked about the book and plenty I did not, actually, down-right hated. Throughout my reading life, I've read some dark, depressing books, but none of them left me feeling utterly hopeless at the conclusion as this book. Tyler Johnson Was Here could have been much better than what it is, which is a pittance of what it could have been. However Coles was so busy iterating and reiterating the ugliness of the boys' neighborhood and pitting races against each other that he failed to give me who Tyler was so that I could have grieved his death and celebrated the life he lived. Although there will be teens who'll enjoy this book, I, in good faith, cannot recommend it.

Note: Principal Dodson's self-hate and prejudice reminded me of the prejudice Black cop from the movie, Boyz N the Hood.

Favorite Quotes:
"Life is about wading in the rain, in all the storm's fury, holding on to hope, and also about becoming one and the same with the storm—getting angry, getting heated, and being the change you want."

"[...] the thing about hate is you can't throw it on someone else without getting a little bit on yourself."

Please see my review on YALSA's The Hub:
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2018/04/10/qp2019-nominees-round-april-10-edition/

Sometimes books take a while to digest. That's so true for Jay's debut. TYLER JOHNSON WAS HERE was a poignant, fast-paced read highlighting the intersections between systemic injustice and personal grief. Our MC Marvin is the consummate nerd and I loved him. He and his friends chat about Harry Potter, video games, and girls. They read as the teens down the block. People you might know or pass by. Marvin's voice is straight out of someone's high school journal, lending authenticity to his story.



Murder is central to the plot, but it's not a mystery. Pretty quickly, we learn that Marvin's twin Tyler has been shot and killed by a white police officer after a party. It's contextualized by Marvin's life in general. Getting stopped for walking in the wrong area. Eating the same food because that's what his mom can afford. Being the kid everone stares at, because now his brother is a hashtag. Jay lays out the aftermath like a slice-of-life, inviting us to witness Marvin's grief, and how it's complicated by social media and public opinion. He deals delicately with larger issues of systemic injustice and personal responsibility, without becoming preachy.



A beautiful, raw read. You'll devour it in a night and find yourself thinking about it for months.

This book was fresh, heartbreaking, and introspective. A must-purchase that will fly off my shelves!

This is a hard book to review objectively because the subject matter is important, own voices is important, and I'd like to see what else Jay Coles does in the future. He's clearly been inspired by All-American Boys, Dear Martin, and The Hate U Give and I couldn't help but draw comparisons. It's an important book and an important subject, but perhaps not the strongest in a field of some amazing books.

beautifully written, though I am getting tired of black pain, death and struggle in ya books. but it was a necessary book. this is a new to me author.

I was given a copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have recently read The Hate You Give and I believe fans of that book would support and enjoy this book as well. This is a book written to reflect the current climate on issues going on in our country and is definitely a needed book. It gives some a voice and am connection while it opens the eyes of others. For me, it opened my eyes to the reality others face. I gave this book three stars and liked the message of peace and understanding.

A powerful book that teens need to be reading. Perfect addition to a YA text set on police brutality with All American Boys, The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, and How It Went Down.

After reading The Hate U Give I had to pick this one up because it sounded so interesting! This book was so overwhelmingly heartbreaking and I can't wait to see where Jay Coles goes next.

am glad the point of view in this book is becoming more accessible to readers and appreciate the intentions of this book. I liked reading it, but the characters weren't developed enough. More complex characters would have helped the readers to connect with them and supported the complex issues addressed in the novel.

If you enjoyed The Hate U Give, this is one to pick up ASAP. You will be hooked from the first page. Very important read!

I'd give "Tyler Johnson Was Here" a solid 4 stars, notably because I connected with the read on some personal levels and because it does manage to do well by delving into issues of cultural pride and identity, police brutality, the current events and social climate surrounding Black Lives Matter, and the struggle for recognition/fight against dehumanization so often noted and experienced in the African-American community. Being a twin myself and noting Marvin's connection with Tyler, I could definitely identify with how close the two were. Knowing also few friends who lost their twin siblings early, the pain that comes with that is hard to put into words, but I did appreciate Coles' attention to and openness with Marvin's grief. Being a woman of color, I also appreciated the microscopic and macroscopic attention this novel gave to its racial conflicts from the eyes of its protagonist.

This is a story with many heavy layers and attempts to address those layers from the perspective of a geeky teenage boy left confused and distressed by the events around him. It showcases not just scales of racist attitudes in day-to-day interactions with people in his neighborhood, but also culminating in the event that has Malcolm and his friends remembering his brother in a hashtag: #TylerJohnsonWasHere. Marvin's a rather distinct teen who's self-aware, full of self and cultural love/confidence. He likes "A Different World", he wants to go to MIT (at least at first), and he's a supersmart kid just trying to fit in and survive to get out of the fate that the world sees fit to box him in, particularly with a father in prison and a mother who struggles to make sure her boys don't get taken by the streets. (I could honestly appreciate the retro reference to "A Different World", though I wonder if Coles could've also referenced other modern series that teens of color, particularly African-American teens, watch such as "The Get Down", "Dear White People", or "Black-ish/Grown-ish".)

Things get complicated quickly after a party that goes horribly wrong. Granted, the racism that Marvin and his friends experience begin even before that party hits the pages, but it's a turning point of the novel that sends Marvin reeling in horror and desperate to find answers when it seems no one else of authority (particularly where the police are concerned) can help. I felt that the characters could've used more fleshing out. The romance in here felt somewhat shoehorned in, but parts of it were sweet. Still, the narrative pulled me in and I was rooting for Marvin the whole novel. He shows a good bit of character growth up to the final points of the novel, though I honestly wish that the novel could've given more closure to certain plot points pertinent to the novel's events (I would've liked to have seen the family get the justice they deserved, and even Marvin start his foot off in his new college life.)

Overall - it was an experience I connected with despite some qualms and general uneven presentation within the novel. I would like to see more work from Jay Coles to see more of his narrative style on the whole.

Overall score: 4/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, from the publisher.