Dear Martin, her bestselling debut, was inspired by a political narrative that is blatantly spread across media when an unarmed black teenager dies. Stone uses highly empathic young characters to combat that narrative, showing it to be unhelpful at the best and dangerous at worst. She says, “My goal was dismantle that myth that if all goes well, there will be no bad things for you.” “Everytime a black boy dies, you can see the argument coming out all over the place. There are so many reasons that a boy of color’s death is his fault. Often those reasons are stereotypes.” Justyce McAllister is a 17-year old African American honor student and debate captain on his journey to Yale. Justyce follows the rules of his Atlanta private school, which is full of opportunity, wealth, privilege and most importantly people who aren’t like him. But the goal line keeps getting further away. Justyce is falsely arrested and profiled. He then embarks on a social experiment in an attempt to imitate his hero, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Justyce writes letters to King and examines the racism he encounters daily. Justyce asks himself, in diary entries, “What might Martin do?” King’s definitions of integration are particularly compelling to him. He explains that integration is more than the elimination of segregation throughout the book. Justyce wonders why so many people at school aren’t like him. His classmates claim that he is “colorblind” but he still experiences discrimination every day. He feels like he doesn’t belong in both his worlds, even as he tries to cross them. He knows that he’s been viewed as a “sellout”, as well as as “the token African kid” and affirmative-action beneficiary by his predominantly white classmates. Worst of all, he lives with the constant echo of police brutality. He was shot and killed by his best friend. He can’t win, no matter what Justyce does. This book is for all. This book is for teachers who wish to make it accessible to young people who have experienced discrimination and those who have not. It is for young people who feel they are not welcome. This book is for teenagers and adults who struggle with the seemingly never-ending police brutality, and wonder why it’s not being addressed in our political discourse. This book is for people who can relate to the police perspective but also want to learn about the experiences of young black men. Stone places us in the shoes a teenage boy who, on top of dealing daily with normal teenage stuff like love, friendships that are changing or challenged, and college applications, knows what it’s really like to confront a police officer. And he lives to tell the tale. Stone, through Justyce, illuminates the all too common aftermath narrative that is often spun by people who aren’t there or likely never will. Stone will be focusing on the other side of the story, the kid who is denied private school education and chooses a different path. She said, “I want that kid to be looked at as well as the one who is doing well.” “And frankly, books are just as important for people to be able to experience the lives of others.” Nic Stone will speak on the panel “Hope (Nation and Other Four-Letter Words” at Galloway Sanctuary at 10:45 am. Rose Brock, Becky Albertalli and Julie Murphy are also on the panel. Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, and Nicola Yoon are others.