Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusuf Salaam is like the modern Monster by Walter Dean Myers. Hand to students who enjoyed Monster, Long Way Down, and The Nickel Boys.

This book is written beautifully and should be a mandatory read for any teacher that teaches children of color. It is written poetically and shows how dangerous the school to prison pipeline is when we as teachers only see talent in students and not their humanity. Children of color are more than their talents and worthy of being seen. I've already started to recommend this read to teaching fellows and think it pairs well with 8th graders and above. This book took me out of a serious readers block I've have had.

I've heard so much about this author but never had the chance to read any of the work until now. Incredible. The author has a great narrative. Can't wait to read other titles.

This was a quick and amazing read. It is lyrical and true art. The story is not only relevant but necessary. This is a story that will sit with me for some time and a story that I will utilize in class to show the power of voices and words. This is a definite addition to my classroom library.

Read this amazing book. It will only take a couple of hours. Give it to people. Put it on your Black Lives Matter reading lists. Ibi Zoboi, first of all, is a fabulous writer who has altered her narrative style a bit to craft a novel in verse that tells the story of a wrongly incarcerated teen. Co-written by Yusef Salaam, who was one of the Exonerated Five and is now a prison reform advocate, this is another wonderful, spare verse novel of the type that Jason Reynolds promotes and so beautifully writes. It is a powerful story for those who think they do not like to read, each word thoughtfully chosen and packed with emotion, and lots of white space on the page for breathing room.

It is the story of aspiring artist Amal, who was just another teen in the wrong place at the wrong time, being thrown into the racist system and treated like a criminal. He has no real tools to deal with life inside lockup (who does?) and although he does not seek trouble, he gets it. His despair and hope at even the smallest things are achingly beautiful. To me, it ends well, but I am very aware that this is not always the case. We need to hear these voices, and I thank Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam for giving us Amal Shahid's voice.

Punching the Air is a beautiful work - devastating but hopeful, beautiful but tragic. Amal is an amazing character - fighting back against the image painted of him after he is wrongfully incarcerated at just 16 years old. And the injustices against him do not stop once he enters the juvenile detention facility. Through a lot of darkness and pain, he finds hope in a letter from a girl he had a crush on, a poetry class, and a set of watercolor paints. He is finally able to speak his truth through his art and through his poetry. Punching the Air is raw, powerful, and necessary. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this amazing book.

I don't love the YA genre and I definitely don't love poetry, but this is a MUST READ. I am still absorbing everything from this book, but it an absolutely experience. Everyone should read this book!

Punching the Air is a powerful read that will take readers a while to digest. I found myself thinking back on it often after finishing the final page. I can only imagine the rage one much feel at being wrongfully incarcerated. This book would be a great selection for a teen or adult book club as there is a lot to unpack and discuss.. I loved the free verse writing style and thought it added additional depth to the text and the open-ended ending was a necessary gut punch. Highly recommend.

"The most harmful place for a Black or brown child to be is inside a white imagination." ~ Ibi Zoboi

I first learned about Punching the Air through the School Library Journal who hosted the authors, Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam (of the Exonerated Five), in their Day of Dialog event, and then further with a reading discussion series for educators and other gatekeepers. The quote by Ibi Zoboi is one that will stick with me. It is not a direct quote from the book, but a statement made to show how bias and prejudice from white educators and other gatekeepers (like library staff) can harm Black and brown children. The goal, she went on to say, is to first see these children as human, and then to empower them as best reflects each individual.

The story of Punching the Air is a fictionalized and modernized version of Yusef's story, being wrongly convicted of a crime as a young boy. In Punching the Air, Amal is sentenced to time in juvenile detention for a crime we don't readily know much about. Amal tells us he threw the first punch, but that is all we know, and the ending won't wrap everything up like a tidy present either, it is more open, creating room for hope, but also a realistic doubt that must make the reader confront our own country's reality.

It is beautifully written in verse, drawing from many of the poems that Yusef wrote during his time in incarceration and also through Ibi's poetry background and raising her own Black children. It would be a phenomenal addition to any school or public library and a topical and timely discussion read. I've been very moved by the reading discussion series the authors are taking part in, and by their thoughtfulness in working with the publisher on the cover image and even publishing the book in paperback right away, along with hardcover format, in order to get the book into the hands of kids in juvenile detention centers now. They certainly wrote with supporting their audience in mind and give the readers, especially white readers, much to think about in terms of how Amal is viewed by the different teachers in his life, and also by the prison guards and administrators.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

Ibi Zobi writes a chilling truth about one boys journey of incarceration.. Two groups of teens, one white one African American.....a fight breaks out and Jeremy Mathis is in a coma. Amal threw the first punch but not the last. Amal tells everyone he didn't do it but he's convicted anyway and sent to a juvenile facility. There life is scary and lonely. Separated from friends and family in a place where people judge him on his conviction Amal must learn to navigate this new world where no one hears his voice. Punching The Air is an amazing and thought provoking book.

I can't do this book justice in a review. It is a study in opposition that paints a broad picture in limited words and offers hope despite the gritty reality of the topic. Simultaneously pessimistic and uplifting, and highly recommended!

Absolutely loved this book. Not only was the content compelling, the arrangement of text on the page was unique and captivating. The ending was unresolved leaving the reader to imagine how the story plays out. I love and hate those endings as I am a reader that craves resolution; however, I understand the need for such an ending. I love everything Ibi Zoboi has written and Punching the Air has been added to that list.

This book deals with the wrongful incarceration of African American young men, told in lyrical first person poetry; Amal also uses art, rap, and art history to express his truths. The coauthors did an excellent job expressing sympathy and support for Black youth, and they shine a light on our flawed justice system. It is excellently written and is an important book that I hope gets into the hands of many young people.

Lyrical and genius, this is a must read. Amal’s story is impactful and relevant. It moves you through the words and poetry, shakes you to your core.

The fact that this story is written based on one of the author’s life experiences awakens the reader’s soul.

This was a beautifully written novel that made excellent use of the concept of disrupting white space, both literally and metaphorically. Ibi Zoboi continues to be a powerful voice in young adult literature, and I'm excited to see more of what Yusef Salaam has to offer. I think books like this should be required reading in secondary settings because they help to build empathy and understanding when our nation seems to be drifting further and further apart.

This gorgeous, powerful book is a brilliant collaboration between Zoboi and Salaam. The parallels to Salaam's own experiences are clear and will bring the events of the Central Park 5 to a new generation; Zoboi's writing is poetic, lyrical, and vigorous. A quick read that will linger in readers' minds.

If you know the story of the Central Park Five, you have to read this book. And if you don't know the story, you have to read this book! Ibi Zoboi teamed up with Yusef Salaam to tell the story of young man wrongly accused and convicted of crime and how that young man spends his time in the jouvenile detention center. While it's not a memoir, it is based loosely on how Yusef Salaam used art as a creative outlet while he served his time. This book is a must read by people of ages and backgrounds. I will use it in my classroom to springboard the discussion about race and the way the judicial system, prison system and all American systems disproporionately fail and oppress black people. Through poetry and art this book tackles issues of rcial profiling and prison abolition. It is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

Amazing. I am always stunned when I can delve into a novel in verse and grasp so much feeling, so much character in so few words. This book is so important - for kids, for teachers, for those who are quick to judge. So powerful. These words are musts for any YA collections or readers.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ebook ARC of this title.

An incredible novel-in-verse that intimately examines the factors contributing to and effects of the wrongful incarceration of a Black teen boy. The poems had wonderful and natural flow, making me feel like I was reading prose. The imagery throughout was sharp and perfect.

I would have liked to see the accompanying illustrations, as I assume there are some in the final published copy.

Another winner from Ibi Zoboi, this time in partnership with one of the exonerated Central Park Five, Yusef Salaam. It's a quick read, but it packs a punch. I liked that Amal owned the mistakes he made in the past but continually fought for his innocence in the situation that landed him in jail. The descriptions, the characters, the writing... I loved it all.