The American justice system is not colorblind. Disagree with me? Read. This. Book.
I decided to read this novel because I was only 12 years old when Trayvon Martin was murdered. I was too young to watch the trial unfold and this piece of literature, told from the point of views of Trayvon's mother and father, gives a complete play by play of what happened. After finishing the book, I can say with confidence that I am more informed about the case and the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole.

I did not enjoy this book, but I forced myself to finish it. The introduction was so good, but the rest of the book was just blah. I think I may be too young to understand the text completely. There were many references to books, movies, and tv shows that I had never heard of. You can tell Gay is a wonderful writer, but this novel was not for me.

I have always admired John Lewis. This summer, at St. Paul's ASP, I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to learn more about him and his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. However, Lewis' involvement in the fight for social justice did not end after the 50s and 60s. This short book is Lewis' guide for the young activists in the world today. As I hope to pursue a career in politics and/or the legal system, I can see myself coming back to this book many times throughout my life. I often found myself highlighting Lewis' words while reading and making note of the advice he gives in each chapter. This is a fantastic book for anyone, no matter what age, interested in helping improve the lives of others and changing the world in which we live in today.

An engaging story which focuses on two prominent controversial issues in society today: mass incarceration of black youths and unspecified gender identification. Slater was able to hold my attention as a reader and develop the characters of Sasha and Richard beautifully. Despite them being forces against each other (perpetrator v victim), I truly was rooting for them both throughout the story. In my mind, there is no villain in this book, but rather two teenagers who struggle with the box society has put them in as a black teenager and an agender scholar. I highly recommend adding this to your "to-read" list!

While this is not a long book, it is filled with stories, both personal and political, which take time to read and fully understand. This is the best memoir I have ever read and it ultimately made me love Biden even more (which I did not believe was even possible!). Also, since I will be living in DC in less than 6 months, I wouldn't mind if he decided to run for POTUS in 2020! (Please Joe!)

I would have given this novel 5 stars, as it kept my attention throughout the entirety of the novel, BUT the ending was horrible. How can Achebe end such a great book in such a horrible way? This being said, I need to get my hands on the other two books in the series. I really enjoy Achebe’s writing style and look forward to reading more of his work!