"WHY does this guy insist on trying to keep me down? On the real, he's just as bad as Jared! It's like I'm trying to climb a mountain, but I've got one fool trying to shove me down so I won't be on his level and another fool tugging at my leg, trying to pull me to the ground he refuses to leave."

Dear Martin is an excellent and well developed look at modern day racial issues. Justyce, the main character in the novel experiences profiling and hardships from just about every direction in his community. Add all of that to the regular pressures of being a high school student, worrying about parental approval, and trying not to make a fool of yourself in front of a girl, and, well, Justyce has a full plate.

I've taught in an all black school and in an all white school. Now I am somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. I would heartily recommend this book to all of my former and present students. This is one of those rare gems of a book that takes a current issue and teaches empathy all around. If you're a teacher of students grades 7+, do your kids a service and put this in their library. If you're a parent, give this book to your child. If you're a student yourself, advocate for this book. We all need it.