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seeceeread's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
š "Every dumb shit I did, they thought it was because of ... 'Trouble at home.' 'An absent father.' 'A tired mother.' 'Not enough books.' 'Not enough vegetables.' 'Not enough sleep.'"
Amal Shahid threw the first punch. But he didn't deliver the last, the one that put Jeremy Mathis into a coma. A Black boy who failed art class, despite having studied the likes of Jacob Lawrence, Romare Bearden, Kerri James Marshall. He's failed to conform to a juvenile justice expectation of subdued self and suspended growth. He's failed by adults and especially institutions. To pass into managing his emotions about it all, Amal first abandons, then reclaims art ā poetry, rap, drawing and painting ā to lend color, line and shape to his realizations about it all.
The plot unfolds slowly, pulling readers into Amal as a narrator before sharing a full understanding of how his ruminations interlock. Then, captive and caged, we are strapped into his rage-realize-remember-regret-resent loop until a moment of vulnerability reminds him of how to choose expression to keep the rollercoaster on its track. Amal doesn't feel any less; rather, he channels his feelings into processes and pieces that offer others more meaningful containers for what spills over.
The authors capture an adolescent boy so well! I was transported back to conversations with former students: Ronald, who filled pages and pages with poetry and told me stories of disappointing his mother the year before with middle school antics. Delon, who loved Myers' š š¼š»ššš²šæ (a literary precursor!) and wanted to learn screenwriting once we finished; a boy who hadn't so much as looked at other assignments. Tevin, a gregarious football player whose neoligisms included iBall in a piece on identity. Amir, who aspired to self-publish a collection of love notes. Amal's perspective is constructed with images of sinking stones and butterflies, recurring thoughts, and sincere grappling with the emotional risks of being authentic (or not).
The plot unfolds slowly, pulling readers into Amal as a narrator before sharing a full understanding of how his ruminations interlock. Then, captive and caged, we are strapped into his rage-realize-remember-regret-resent loop until a moment of vulnerability reminds him of how to choose expression to keep the rollercoaster on its track. Amal doesn't feel any less; rather, he channels his feelings into processes and pieces that offer others more meaningful containers for what spills over.
The authors capture an adolescent boy so well! I was transported back to conversations with former students: Ronald, who filled pages and pages with poetry and told me stories of disappointing his mother the year before with middle school antics. Delon, who loved Myers' š š¼š»ššš²šæ (a literary precursor!) and wanted to learn screenwriting once we finished; a boy who hadn't so much as looked at other assignments. Tevin, a gregarious football player whose neoligisms included iBall in a piece on identity. Amir, who aspired to self-publish a collection of love notes. Amal's perspective is constructed with images of sinking stones and butterflies, recurring thoughts, and sincere grappling with the emotional risks of being authentic (or not).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Forced institutionalization
This is an in-depth, poetic look at juvenile incarceration.mandkips's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, Confinement, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Police brutality
Minor: Slavery
thewordsdevourer's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
reading this book was an experience. punching the air is neither too plot- nor character-driven - amal and the tide of his days and life are instead driven along by the oppressive system - but the emotions it's able to evoke from the reader are sth else.
zoboi and salaam masterfully use the verse form to their advantage, visually depicting the oppressiveness and sense of being trapped deeply felt by amal and many black boys and men everywhere under the american prison industrial complex. how the system and the white ppl who both consciously and inadvertently uphold it are illustrated w/ nuance and a keen eye, their ignorance and racism so ingrained they arent even aware of the power of their words or actions, and all of it maddening esp in the juvie setting. this book's also abt art and its power, and the structure and incorporation of drawing and many visual elements rly complement the aforementioned themes.
tbh the novel's content and msg arent anything unfamiliar, but i think what truly makes it unique is the whole absorbing experience the one feels reading it. the emotions it evokes are near total, and one feels strongly connected to amal and what he's going thru. perhaps the fact that salaam himself has been thru the very same thing as amal has sth to do w/ it, and he's able to channel it all very well here.
overall, this is a very emotionally absorbing and powerful book. it's not rly plot-heavy but its form and structure are surprisingly effective and impactful.
zoboi and salaam masterfully use the verse form to their advantage, visually depicting the oppressiveness and sense of being trapped deeply felt by amal and many black boys and men everywhere under the american prison industrial complex. how the system and the white ppl who both consciously and inadvertently uphold it are illustrated w/ nuance and a keen eye, their ignorance and racism so ingrained they arent even aware of the power of their words or actions, and all of it maddening esp in the juvie setting. this book's also abt art and its power, and the structure and incorporation of drawing and many visual elements rly complement the aforementioned themes.
tbh the novel's content and msg arent anything unfamiliar, but i think what truly makes it unique is the whole absorbing experience the one feels reading it. the emotions it evokes are near total, and one feels strongly connected to amal and what he's going thru. perhaps the fact that salaam himself has been thru the very same thing as amal has sth to do w/ it, and he's able to channel it all very well here.
overall, this is a very emotionally absorbing and powerful book. it's not rly plot-heavy but its form and structure are surprisingly effective and impactful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Confinement, and Police brutality
Moderate: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Violence
berglindsh's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Racism
melmattocks21's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
While this was a quick read, it took awhile due to the heavy content. I enjoyed reading Amalās story, but couldnāt believe how abrupt the ending was. That disappointed me because I felt there was so much left unsaid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Confinement
brookey8888's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Wow was very good. I honestly had no clue what this was about when I picked it up, I just recognized the author. This is such an important story that everyone should read. It does discuss hard, but important topics so be prepared. Some of the poems(?) gave me goosebumps. The reason itās a 4.5 is because it did take me a while to get used to the verse and kind of connect with the story, but once I did I couldnāt put this down. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Confinement, Racism, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Hate crime
anniereads221's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Grief, Slavery, and Hate crime
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, and Islamophobia
monicalaurette's review
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book first caught my eye because of the beautiful colors on the cover and the imagery with the butterfly. So I picked it up and read the summary.
I personally love to watch documentaries about people being proven innocent and getting to go back into freedom, and Iāve seen āWhen They See Usā that showcased the Exonerated Five (granted I saw it after purchasing this book but whatever). I wish there werenāt so many documentaries and shows that are about helping those wrongfully accused get free, but I like to see them get to hug their families and drive away from the prison that was their home for however long. I feel bad that I canāt do anything for them, since they are already out, and the most I can do for others wrongfully accused that are still locked up is just retweeting their story. But hopefully stories like this and the ones before it, and the world we are creating today, that that will be less common.
ā....like everything that I am, that Iāve ever been counts as being guilty.ā
So based on the above, and the summary youāve probably already read, this story follows a young, black teen named Amal who is wrongfully accused of assaulting another teen (a white one from the rich(er) side of town). Written in gorgeous poetry (and in my opinion sometimes they were like lyrics), this follows Amalās life from trial to into his time in juvenile detention. You watch as Amal works hard to not lose himself while staying alive. Ways that he does this is using art, both words and drawing.
I gave Punching the Air 5 stars because the flow of the words was beautiful and painted a heart-breaking and emotional story. I wish stories like this didnāt have to be something that is so common that while fictional, itās based off Yusefās own incarceration, but instead they were truly rooted in fiction.
āThey call it free time and it's the biggest lie because we are still in here.ā
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Racism, Confinement, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood
rachelwierick's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Slavery
rey_therese07's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality and Racial slurs
Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Confinement
Minor: Slavery and Murder