Punching the Air
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Punching the Air
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Narrated by:
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Ethan Herisse
About this listen
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2022 YOTO CARNEGIE MEDAL
From award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five comes a powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated. Perfect for fans of the Noughts & Crosses series and The Hate U Give.
One fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighbourhood escalates into tragedy. ‘Boys just being boys’ turns out to be true only when those boys are white.
Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal Shahid’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair and rage almost sink him until he turns to the refuge of his words, his art. This never should have been his story. But can he change it?
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.
©2020 Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Zoboi and Salaam have created nothing short of a masterwork of humanity, with lyrical arms big enough to cradle the oppressed and metaphoric teeth sharp enough to chomp on the bitter bones of racism. This is more than a story. This is a necessary exploration of anger, and a radical reflection of love, which ultimately makes for an honest depiction of what it means to be young and Black in America." (Jason Reynolds, award-winning, best-selling author of Long Way Down)
"Punching the Air is the profound sound of humanity in verse. About a boy who uses his creative mind to overcome the creativity of racism. About a boy who uses the freedom of art to overcome his incarceration. About you. About me. Utterly indispensable." (Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award-winning and number one New York Times best-selling author of Stamped and How to Be an Antiracist)
"In this beautifully rendered book, we are reminded again of how brilliant and precarious our Black Lives are and how art can ultimately heal us." (Jacqueline Woodson, award-winning, best-selling author of Brown Girl Dreaming)
What listeners say about Punching the Air
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- maxi
- 24-05-22
Excellent narration
A powerful book that exposes some uncomfortable truths about our shared humanity. The narration is measured and compelling.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mandy
- 14-06-21
Superb narrator
This is a powerful and moving book made even better by the superb narration by Ethan Herisse. It tells the story of Amal who is sent to a juvenile facility after seriously injuring another boy in a public brawl. The problem is that he might have thrown the first punch but certainly not the one that put the other boy into a coma. The book focuses on institutional racism and everything that works to tear black boys down. Highly recommended
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alex Keeler
- 12-11-20
Thought provoking
My first book on audible- I have never listened or read such a book written in a way to sound as prose- beautifully written and really creates a connection with the character
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J T Nicholls
- 13-10-20
Beautiful
Loved this book, found the writing utterly compelling aided by the mesmeric narration. Thoroughly recommend this book to everyone.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-12-20
My review.
It is beautifully written. It's a powerful story of finding hope in a world of injustice.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. J. Kelly
- 07-05-24
Upsetting real-life youth detention/conviction
Upsetting based-on-real-life youth detention and wrongful conviction story in verse.
I had heard of the Central Park Five, and knowing one of the co-authors was part of this group made me look into it more. The story here is an account based on this real case of wrongfully incarcerated young people, birthing a whole life, education and character of one boy accused and sent to prison after a violent incident.
Amal tells us gradually about what happened. About his family, his school, his dreams, and about his court case and experiences inside youth prison.
We see the truth behind what outsiders might think they see - how misconceptions, stereotypes and quickness to judge, as well as outright racism, can bring about unfair treatment and even miscarriages of justice.
The verse structure worked for the audiobook format, chapters were short and moved quickly from topic to topic. It covered a lot of ground and gave insight directly into each of Amal's experiences. Some felt quite graphic as he finds himself treated badly both inside and outside of custody.
This was a quick read, one that gave a lot to worry and think about, and would be very useful for secondary schools looking at related topics and news items.
For ages 13+.
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