The way the text interacts with the illustrations, and the way the text would form pictures (like the box on page 265) made me slow down and really think about what was being said.

Jessica: It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel in verse too, and I’m so glad that I got to read this one in particular. All writing can be difficult, but with poetry it seems there’s an added complexity and this book really does well on all levels. On top of that, there is imagery and rhythm in the words and all of this conveys an incredibly powerful story too. The combination of white space and carefully placed words is an art in itself. The poetry allows them to draw our eyes around the page in unique patterns. Like any format, they can be hit or miss, but Zoboi and Salaam have really created a masterpiece here. 104), there’s a section with just one word on each line that truly would not have hit the same way if those same words had been on longer lines.Ĭrystal: I seek out novels in verse. For example, in the poem “Auction Block” (p. One of the things I particularly enjoyed was how the placement of the text on page could change or enhance the impact of the poetry.

Authors Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam wrote some breathtaking poetry here, and there were multiple points where I had to reread to make sure I really appreciated it all. With spellbinding lyricism, award-winning author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam tell a moving and deeply profound story about how one boy is able to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth, in a system designed to strip him of both.Īudrey: It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel in verse, and PUNCHING THE AIR reminded me just how wonderful they can be. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. “Boys just being boys” turns out to be true only when those boys are white. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. But even in a diverse art school, he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef SalaamĪmal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. If you have read the book, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! So fair warning–there are spoilers ahead! Crystal even interviewed the authors in a previous post. It’s an important, timely book, and we were all excited to read and discuss it. When it came time for us to pick which book we should end our group discussions on for the year, PUNCHING THE AIR by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam immediately rose to the top of our list.

Punching the air book review