Dear Martin - Nic Stone

Dear Martin by Nic Stone follows Justyce, a 17-year-old student at a prep school in Atlanta as he finds himself becoming the target of racially motivated discrimination. The story is told through Justyce's letters to Martin Luther King Jr. as he stumbles through the reality of living in the United States.

Teachers

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Pages: 224

Age Range: 14-18

Lexile: HL720L

Themes: police brutality, systemic racism, grief, injustice, poverty, violence, etc.

Questions for discussion:

1. Describe what Justyce's life is like at the beginning of the book, prior to his arrest. What are his goals, attitude, and greatest challenges?

2. What is a micro-aggression? What are some examples of the racially motivated micro-aggressions that Justyce experiences?

3. What is the main difference between Justyce and Manny? How does this influence the way they are treated at school?

4. What happens in the events leading up to Justyce's arrest?

5. Describe what Justyce's life is like at the end of the book. What are his goals, attitude, and greatest challenges at the end of the book?

6. How does the media treat the death of Manny and arrest of Justyce? Did this surprise you? Why or why not?

7. Were there any characters that you connected with? If so, which one and why?

8. To borrow a prompt from Doc: How is the United States “currently failing to uphold the standards set forth in its foundational documents”? (p. 40)

9. Quan asks Justyce, “Why’d we turn out so different?” (p. 43) How would you answer this question?

10. Why does Quan join the Black Jihad? More broadly, why do young people join gangs?

Parents

Dear Martin includes sensitive topics such as police brutality and racism that may be triggering for some students. It's important that students are made aware of discrimination and racism and how it exists today.

Students

If you've been following the news, you know how systemic racism and injustice exists everyday. You may have experienced these things yourself. Dear Martin shows the realistic aftermath of dealing with discrimination and how writing letters can help.

If you like Dear Martin, check out the sequel, Dear Justyce!