"Your struggle is my struggle. Your hurt is my hurt. I'm hurting because you're hurting."

Imagine how much better our world would be if we all felt that way about each other.

Punching the Air is beautifully written and tackles the topics of being wrongfully convicted and how the prison system can be used as a modern-day form of slavery, as written in the Thirteenth Amendment. I'm honestly shocked this isn't being talked about more. Why wasn't I taught this in school? 

This book is short and packs a punch. My only complaint is I wish it was longer because I don't think there was enough page space to go in-depth with any of the characters and really flesh them out. I feel like I barely know who the characters are, even Amal. He's an artist and gets incarcerated, but what else?

If you're a big fan of contemporary YA, especially written in verse and on the younger side of YA, you'll love this book.

Punching the Air is a book written in verse about 16 years old black boy Amal, who was wrongly accused, tried, and convicted. I received a copy of the audio and I must say that I enjoyed it greatly. The emotions came through well in the audio. Our main character is, unfortunately, suffering the same problems that currently plague our society in the present day. Amal is a black Muslim and that is pretty much sums of almost everything. This is a great young adult book that should be read and reread and discussed in the classroom. I am glad this story was written because black stories like this need to be written and told to a range of audiences. We see the injustice of the judicial system when it comes to black children in America. Thank you Netgalley and Balzer and Bray for the advance copy of this book.

At sixteen, Amal Shahid was convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. He was an artistic student and a poet. The only way he can survive prison is to express himself through his art. Over and over again Amal is let down by the adults around him. He needs to figure out how to speak his truth and fight for justice.

This is a story written in verse. The poetry suited the emotional story. Amal had a lot of emotions that he expressed through his art. He was able to explore his anger in a constructive way by writing poetry and drawing. This story couldn’t have been told the same way if it was written in prose rather than verse.

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. The physical book has some illustrations that I missed out on in the audio version. However, I loved the narrator for the book. He sounded like a teenage boy, so it was like Amal was telling his story. He put a lot of emotion behind the words, which made the story come alive. I really want to check out the physical copy to see the art, but the audio was very good!

This is a great, powerful story!

Thank you Balzer + Bray for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was powerful and moving. It was so well written. The characters were full, multidimensional, complex people. 
The audio book was well narrated.

This was a quick read, but it was not an easy one. Unless you're someone who is cool with wallowing in sadness and helplessness and anger while reading it. Then yeah, this was quick and easy to read. 

I received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher, so my review is based on that format. 

While 400 pages long, this novel is written in verse. A compilation of poems of that tell a story with the most choice words, meant to skewer you with the truth and bleakness of the tale. In this case, about Amal Shahid and his wrongful incarceration. Amal is a Black teen who is guilty until proven innocent, and he is sentenced to time in a juvie for a crime he didn't commit before his innocence can even be allowed to surface. 

This book will definitely appeal to people of The Hate U Give as it highlights the injustices done to Black people in the eyes of the law and how their experiences compare to those of white people. It took two people to fight, and while Amal threw the first punch, he didn't throw the last. But that detail didn't seem to matter, since he is charged and sentenced to time in prison. It's a rough read, following along with Amal. How he is treated in juvie, how he struggles to cope with not being listened to—none of it invokes anything but anger and sadness. The juxtaposition of this soft and thoughtful artist (a poet and a painter) being declared a thug and a menace was very upsetting. These kinds of books always make me feel so helpless, but I'm glad I read it. 

Admittedly, an audiobook was not the best medium for this and I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have. This is something that needs to be savoured. Every line mulled over and considered, especially when some of them deliver such a punch to the gut. And I just wasn't able to focus on it right with audio. Still, when it ended I wanted more, so I suppose it wasn't that bad in the end.

Punching the Air is a YA novel in verse about a boy wrongfully incarcerated.

Sometimes when you read something the only reaction you have when you are done is WOW!  This is exactly how I felt about Punching the Air.  Since it is in verse there is some repetition but it just makes the story that much more powerful.  It is so sad and powerful.  It reminds me of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.  

The story goes back and forth between his past and his present but instead of it being confusing it makes you not want to put it down.  You want to see what will happen next.

When I started this book I didn't really feel like I was in the mood for it. So, I stopped listening to it and read other things for awhile. I have a goal to clear off my currently reading list on goodreads so, this was my first  book to clear off the list! I am really glad that I didn't DNF this book because I really did enjoy it. It isn't a super long book but, you don't need a super long book if the story is impactful. This was about a young African American Muslim boy who we follow throughout his journey in Juvenile Detention for something we aren't super sure if he did or if he is innocent. I listened to this book in one sitting and it blew my mind away! Definitely one of my favorites that I have read recently.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC of Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam.

Amal, the 16 year old protagonist, is accused, tried, and convicted for assaulting a White boy. However, this book is not about Amal's guilt or innocence; this book is about the lack of equity and justice found in juvenile detention centers throughout America. Most importantly it is about Amal's artistry, poetry, and aspirations. Throughout the story, he desperately tries to hold on to his humanity despite the dehumanizing nature of the prison industrial complex. 

The collaboration between Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam has rendered a resolute tale of Racism in education, law enforcement, and the criminal justice system. A searing novel-in-verse that is somewhat reminiscent of Walter Dean Myer's Monster.

I don’t know how to aptly review this book because it is a very personal novel for the author, who was one of the wrongly convicted Central Park Five. This novel is powerful, a clearly intimate look at the juvenile prison system. This is the kind of book people need to read if they wish to better understand why people in the United States are calling for a reform to the justice system. It is deeply insightful while also being heartfelt and poignant. 

I would recommend listening to the audiobook, primarily because of the poetry and how much more impactful it is when read aloud (also the audiobook is narrated by Ethan Herisse, the actor who played Yusuf Salaam in the recent Netflix series When They See Us, which is really nice). Please pick this up if you’re looking for a book that will absolutely move you.

A beautiful, challenging, fast-paced novel in verse from Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (one of the exonerated Central Park Five). This is a novel that looks at life in a correctional facility from the point of a young man, Amal, who is serving time for a crime he did not commit. As an an audiobook I was thoroughly impressed. The narrator captures the frustration and anguish of Amal in such a vivid way, I had to remind myself this was fiction. A timely tale which I would recommend for any reader and will certainly be adding to my library.

Punching the Air is a look inside a correctional facility from the point of view of Amal who was unjustly incarcerated for a. Rime he didn’t commit. It is a timely tale that is eye-opening, powerful and moving. 

I love reading a good novel in verse but this was the first time I listened to one. I found the narrator told the tale in a way that gave strength to Amal’s thoughts and feelings and evoked empathy for his situation.  The listener feels his anguish and anger for a system that is unfair and works at breaking him. 

This is a must have book for any library. I will be purchasing for mine, both audio and book format.

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is not much I can say that would fully encompass my feelings and emotions for this book and the real story behind it. What an unjust world we live in where children can be treated so badly. Where they are criminals due to their skin colour. Where they are limited in their chances due to where they are born. This book was so lyrically beautiful and wrung out all of the pain and anger and sadness from Amal. I felt his pain and his hope all in one complicated jumble... it was devastating.

Punching the Air was a moving and powerful look inside a correctional facility and how our protagonist, Amal, unjustly is sent there for a crime he didn’t commit. 

The actor portraying Amal, gave a strength and empathy to this character that left the readers feeling his anguish and anger for a system that was working to break him. 

As a white middle class women, this story opened my eyes (more) to the dehumanizing effects of incarceration and how the systematic racism that pervades our country carries on with institutions that our supposed to protect our communities. 

A timely tale that was moving and eye opening. Will buy for my library’s collection.

This story takes the reader past the streets of unjust arrests, into the world of incarceration and how it affects, in this case, the young black men who are guilty until proven innocent. Written in verse, and read in a way that we feel we are inside of the feelings, not just thoughts. This is a must book for any library, and the realities of what happens in places we are not able to see.

I think this is an important book.  However, I could not get through the audio book.  I listen on the way to work and it is very slow.  and I understand that the narrator is trying to convey a certain feeling, but I think it will  be better for me when I read the book and not listen to it. I wasn't able to stay interested in it listening to it. 

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow...This book makes it real. Punching the Air brings reality for our black.community front and  center. It forces you to see  the difference, to be a  the voices cry for equity and  justice. So powerful

Listening to this novel-in-verse was a unique experience blending poetry, art, social justice, and family drama. I prefer to read novels-in-verse in print to not miss out on the visual/verbal experience of poetry in print, but Punching the Air was so expressively read by the narrator that I don't feel like I missed the experience of reading off the page. The story and characters are believable, compelling, and impactful. Recommended for all readers age 12+. Thanks to Net Galley for the advance copy of the audiobook.

This was brilliant and heartbreaking and required reading for every teacher. It's wildly important for young readers as well, and they are and should be the focus of YA. But as a teacher, I want to place this book into the hands of every educator I can.

Title: Punching the Air
Author: Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Format: Audiobook

Quick Take: The award-winning author of American Street and the prison reform activist of the Exonerated Five trace the story of a young artist and poet whose prospects at a diverse art school are threatened by a racially biased system and a tragic altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood.

Thoughts: Punching the Air is an extremely powerful novel in verse, detailing the black experience in America. Being an Black woman in America, listening to this book stirred up so many emotions, making this book that much more raw and authentic. The timeliness of Punching the Air adds to the powerful message it gives. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who still doesn't understand why we are still marching and why we say Black Live Matter.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Punching the Air is a beautiful literary piece of work that is one of a kind. Written in a poetic like prose, it tells a story of a young black male teen that was wrongfully convicted of a crime, much like the Central Park Five. Readers get to read (or listen in my case) to the teen go through the entire process of the trail to serving time in a juvenile detention center. Every single person should read this, especially teens. The narrator was exceptional and listening to it was a joy. I would love to see what it looks like as a written piece though. Five starts may not be enough stars for Punching the Air.