The narrator was fantastic and read with passion that made me connect to the story on a deeper level.

I'm still not sure how I feel about the story itself. It was mentioned in the author's note about how the protagonist was written to have a sense of hope, but I don't know how much I felt that as a listener. This book is not about one person but rather a series of larger systematic issues that harms a great number of people. At the same time, the protagonist made so many decisions that I, an adult with a world of different experiences, struggled with. I sympathize and my heart aches for him and all those he represents, but I also don't know what I'm suppose to do about it. No book should be expected to give all the answers, and I certainly don't fault the exceptionally talented Ibi Zoboi for not giving them to me, but I struggle.

Amal Shahid is an artist and a poet.
But most people don’t see that.
What they see is, that Amal is angry, Amal is disruptive, Amal is unmotivated, and Amal is troubled. What they don’t see is that Amal is angry because the world he sees in school and in the newly gentrified neighborhood around him doesn’t reflect his life or the lives of his friends, Amal is disruptive because he is trying to question the bias he lives within and change the world around him, Amal is unmotivated only in the white dominated classes he is forced to sit through, Amal is troubled because he is being accused of a crime he did not commit.

Partnering with prison reform activist and one of the now exonerated five, Yusef Salaam, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi has written a powerful novel in verse that illustrates how the prison system, especially the juvenile prison system, has failed our young people.
This story takes us into Amal’s life and his wrongful incarceration. At just 16, Amal is sent away to a juvenile detention center. He admits to being a part of the incident that put a young white male into the hospital, he even admits he threw the first punch, but he also admits he didn’t throw the last. He was a boy in the wrong place, who made a mistake.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is more than just a story of guilt or innocence. It raises that question of course - Has Amal done a thing worthy of imprisonment? He was in a fight, but was it criminal? The central question of the plot is bigger than a single teenager's guilt, though. It's a question about the entire system. About presumptions based on race. About the school system and the boxes it puts kids into. About cultural failures and violence. We expect kids to be tough but punish them when they fight. And then treat them as if they're dangerous forever after. We expect only a single time of behavior from them from early childhood and punish them for things they don't understand. Zaboi and Salaam suggest that the school system prepares boys for prison, even small infractions taking power from them It's noteworthy that the end of the book does not have Amal in a clear place. He doesn't have answers about his future,He's just thinking, educating himself, an looking for options to make better choices going forward. With such big societal questions being raised, this is an excellent book for discussion.

this was amazing. books written in verse don't always work for me, but this was really great. the writing is so beautiful and the story is really impactful.

Raw, emotional, elegant and powerful!

Amal Shahid tells his story in verse, a story of how the color of his skin led him to be imprisoned, branded a man at the age of sixteen, branded a thug by the media, branded guilty by society. His voice- candid, aching, angry, scared... real. Author Ibi Zoboi worked with prison reform activist Yusef Salaam, who was wrongfully convicted and ultimately proven innocent and released from prison, to create this stunning and heartbreaking story of injustice and racism. Narrator Ethan Herrise gives voice to Amal, perfectly capturing his creative mind, his emotional turmoil and his struggle to fight against a system that wants to beat him down.

This explosive cover introduces Punching the Air's powerful message. Inspired by the life and writings of Yusef Salaam, exonerated after serving almost seven years for a crime he did not commit, authors Zoboi and Salaam have joined forces to create an extraordinary novel in verse.

​Sixteen-year-old Amal Shahid is a young black man with a promising future. A talented visual artist, his large-scale works feature innovative design and bold use of color. He recently earned a coveted spot for a prestigious high school art exhibition. His talent is not limited to visual expression. He is also a poet.
One night he finds himself in a situation he never considered possible. A combination of wrong place, wrong skin, wrong time set him up for criminal conviction and subsequent incarceration that should never have happened. The only witness who knows the truth is in a comma.
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As a young Black man falsely imprisoned, he experiences shock, confusion, despair, anger, discouragement, and mistrust. Over time his feelings slowly evolve as he meets people that he can trust and is given an opportunity to create meaningful art. He begins to hope. ​The change in Amal is evident throughout the book, revealing his developing self-awareness and literary skill.
Herrise’s narration is understated, allowing Amal’s "old soul" to take center stage. Hearing the poetry read aloud magnifies its impact.
This is a story of pain and poor decisions, of circumstances that in an instant can change the trajectory of a life. Amal’s anguish bleeds through each phrase, each page. It’s raw. It’s real. Ultimately it is a story of overcoming impossible odds and holding on to hope. A must read.

I loved it. I don’t normally like books in verse, but this was real and gorgeously written. Even better that it is inspired by a true story & by the racial injustice we see running rampant. Highly recommend!

I completely expected a work from Zoboi to be phenomenal (it was). She is a brilliant writer. I was also excited to see what she would do with a novel in verse, as that's not her normal format (magic. That's what she did). This was extremely compelling, had a main character that jumped off the page, and addressed very unpleasant truths that could create weeks of discussions. I can't give the weight and gravitas to the issues of race relations and mass incarceration that Zoboi can. I can say that it angers me, infuriates me, and makes me want to see a world where punishments are based in rehabilitation more than in retribution (and are administered fairly with no consideration for race or belief). So why one star less than perfect? I don't feel it had a satisfactory conclusion, or really any conclusion. So many real stories of wrongful imprisonment end in tragic ways or with a hushed up release to make white people feel better about their mistakes, a fictional story can give me a conclusive and pleasant ending, right? Right...? Still. Holy cow, this book. I'm going to be thinking on this one for a bit.

This novel in verse was devastating and heartbreaking to listen to, but at the same time is very timely, relevant, and necessary reading for today. Listening to the audio was both powerful and painful, but I found the narration to just be okay...but maybe that is because I had to speed it up. This book is getting a bit of buzz so I may read it again with the actual book instead. My heart was actually aching while listening and it didn't sit well with me. Books like this continue to open my eyes to more of the injustice and racism of the “justice system.”

a heart-wrenching ya contemporary of finding hope in the darkness.

when i heard that "punching the air" was a collaboration between author ibi zoboi and prison reform activist/poet yusef salaam, i immediately added it to the top of my reading list. i have read many ya books attempting to tackle big, messy, complex issues (e.g. sexual assault, drug addiction, homelessness, systemic racism) with varying degrees of nuance and success; "punching the air" is among the best of the best. the story is written in verse, weaving powerful metaphor together with a nuanced but direct narrative of how systemic racism predetermines the life trajectories of many bipoc. zoboi and salaam are able to convey the very real prejudices and microaggressive behaviors present in the daily lives of bipoc without generalizing amal's character so much so as to become depersonalized. i further applaud the authors for slipping in the names of black artists, authors, and civil rights leaders, among others, in a manner that nudges the reader towards further reading and learning without feeling preachy. all in all, "punching the air" is phenomenal and i highly recommend it.

one small note: i listened to the audiobook version, and was not a fan of the narration. when i read it again – and i most definitely will read it again – i will pick up the physical or e-book copy.

thank you to netgalley and harper audio/balzer + bray for an audio-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow this powerful book has been published at the right time. The story of a African American teenager is at the wrong place, at the wrong time, but did not throw the first punch. After a fight over a territorial park between two different neighborhoods we find our main character locked up in a juvenile center. While incarcerated he must learn to survive and find himself through his art, and his family.
The narrator was very convincing, very captivating. Not sure if it was the download you sent me, I did have to speed it up to 1.25 or it was to slow. Good High School book club book.

Thank you, NetGalley for providing me an e-arc of the book. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobooks of Punching the Air, and really appreciated the prose and verses and how it was not just a novel.
I find myself wishing I had this when I was younger, and how important this is now as a black person in America.

I went into this one semi-blind. I knew the premise, but not that one of the authors was a member of the Exonerated Five. His influence on this story was so deep and heartfelt. The story itself is heartbreaking. 16 year old Amal is sent to prison for a crime that he didn't commit, and the only person who can free him is a white boy who just happens to be in a coma. As a white person, I HATE that I could read this and feel like it's straight out of a news headline now. I hate that things like this are still happening. Amal was such a brilliant soul. He was creative, smart, and angry for all the right reasons. The bonds he formed in prison were so touching. His impact on the other prisoners was very heartfelt. I loved everything about this story. I couldn't really do it justice or say enough things about it. It broke my heart in several places and then put it back together again.

Punching the Air is one of those books that wraps around you, and engulfs you. a very powerful and moving novel told in verse. You follow Amal as he is wrongfully convicted of a violent crime and is sent to the juvenile facility. It shows a part of our criminal justice system that most people don't know about.

I loved the narrator, Ethan Herrise. He brought the story to life for me! This is a must-read book!!

This novel is about a young man’s struggle to be a young black body in a world that is not set up for your success. A life upended by one moment gone terribly awry, with no way to prove the narrative falsely. Punching the Air is a glimpse into Amal Shahid's life after that terrible incident leaving a young white body in a coma. A brilliant artist and poet who has bared his spirit and thoughts through words and pictures not everyone can comprehend or chooses to. A story of young man in a juvenile penal system fighting against the urge to accept the hand he’s been dealt and figuring out how to use the rage that has been built up inside of him. A young mother that has fought to make a good life for her child and prepare him for the reality of what it means to be cautious in a world where nothing will ever come easy. Punching the Air, does a commendable job of exploring the complexities of an existence that a large fraction of the population experiences and bringing some awareness to the forefront of those that never will.

DNF at 79%. This is hard to rate. Important subject matter but I was bored. I’ve read other books about blacks who were wrongly incarcerated like This Is My America which I LOVED. But this book is mostly about him being in prison and his thoughts. I like more action in my books. Also the Net Galley app is not very functional when the book is sped up to 2x speed. It makes the audio sound tinny and like a robot. This definitely affected my enjoyment of the book.

Heavy, powerful, raw, but beautiful. I highly recommend everyone read Punching the Air.

Amal, an artistic black teen, makes a choice one evening that has immeasurable consequences. When he finds himself in juvie for a crime he is adamant he didn't do, he is angry and sad. He turns to his art and love of writing to find hope and solace. Punching the Air is a powerful own voices story, closely shadowing events that shaped one of the author's lives; it is a story of resiliency.

The audiobook version is well-done; thankfully, you do not lose the beauty of the prose.

About the story :
I think it is impossible not to be touched by Amal story. To feel for him and to feel rage towards... Well towards everything. The story was a simple one, but well executed. I don't want to say more, because it's a fast read and I think it's better to go into it knowing nothing.

About the format :
I both listened to the audiobook and read it with my eyes. And I think the way to go is with your eyes. A lot of editing went into the structure of the words, the way they show and the page, the rhythm of the sentences. Even though the audiobook gave Amal a voice you can connect to, I didn't think it portrayed that well the poetry and rythm of the text. Listening to the audiobook, I wouldn't even know this was written in verses ! And there's also different drawing in the texts that helps you connect with Amal and his art.

About the writing :
I thought the way things were said, the imagery behind it, was beautiful and infused wonderfully this message if hope and liberty. The different effects, with the way the words were put on the pages and the rythm, were very esthetically pleasing. It made the object itself a work of art in all its component (cover, the way the text is displayed, the drawings, etc.) I'll be reading more of Ibi Ziboi that's for sure.

I listened to Punching the Air on audio and highly recommend it in this format. This is such an important book, especially now as more and more people are finally waking up to the reality of racism and an often unjust "justice system". Written in verse, this book centers around Amal, a Black Muslim teen who is falsely accused of a violent crime. He sees his aspirations of being an artist dying and he can't help but feel like he's a disappointment to his mother. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of a clear ending. While the book was wonderful overall and also so very needed, I would have loved to have an ending that wrapped everything up.

If you read “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and liked that then you will almost certainly like this one.

In a dream world, we would all embrace our inner Mister Roger and love one another no matter our race, religion, income, education, illnesses, where we live, etc. Our books would be diverse because we would be. Unfortunately that is not the world we live in. So when you want a good book with more diversity than your run of the mill best seller, you either have to go to smaller more indie writers or read a book like this one that is tackling how our differences tear us apart.

The plot is fairly simple. Our young protagonist Amal finds himself on the wrong side of the law. He doesn’t really understand how he ended up in jail, but he did. He didn’t want to fight, but the pressure to fit in is very real. Reading this as an adult is tough. There are times I wanted to yell at Amal “It doesn’t matter if you didn’t throw the last punch” for example. I never fought anyone but my brother and never felt the pressure to fight, but I did see a fight or two. And I don’t remember anyone telling us just how serious a fist fight can be. If anything it was more a “we don’t care if you fight, just don’t do it around us because we don’t want to have to actually do something about it” attitude. As an adult I have seen stories of people severely injured or even killed from a punch or two. So already we have failed kids by the time the fight even occurred. But right when I was feeling pretty frustrated with Amal’s view of the fight, we learned more..

As the story develops we learn about Amal’s life before, during, and after the fight. Before and after he spent any time in jail. We see injustice. Adults using their power to harm a child. We see Amal have to go through typical teenager things like flirting with the girl he likes via letters instead of in person. We see a young man who just wants to hang out with anyone who has his interests as well as a young man pressured to fight, pressured to pick a clique just for a shot at survival.

This book is basically just another look at a system so broken that it needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.
It is an important read, not just for the YA audience it is targeting but also for adults. Many seem to have forgotten what life was like when they were younger but also just refuse to acknowledge any one else’s experiences that differed from theirs. Some of it is race, some of it is who raised you, some of it is income, some of it is just where you live or work or go to school. Sadly, I do not think those who need to read and truly hear and process what books like these are telling us will pick this one up, but they should.

I read the book in audiobook form. The narrator was beyond good. I felt like he truly was Amal and not just another voice actor / narrator. He brought the story to life.