Dear Martin - Nic Stone Apr 2026

The narrative highlights how news reporting can manipulate the "truth," often demonizing Black youth and shaping public perception. Series Expansion

The novel was a finalist for the William C. Morris Debut YA Award and the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award .

Stone illustrates how prejudice exists not just in overt acts of violence, but in the "invisible backpacks" of assumptions held by classmates and teachers. Dear Martin - Nic Stone

Justyce finds himself between two worlds—his affluent school and his home neighborhood—feeling like he doesn't fully fit in either.

Justyce McAllister is an honor student at a predominantly white preparatory school, headed for the Ivy League. His life changes abruptly when he is racially profiled and violently arrested by a police officer while trying to help his ex-girlfriend. To process his trauma and the injustices he sees, Justyce begins writing a series of letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., questioning if King’s non-violent teachings are still applicable in the modern world. The novel serves as a commentary on several social issues: The narrative highlights how news reporting can manipulate

A sequel focusing on Quan, an incarcerated teen who writes letters to Justyce from a youth detention center. Dear Manny (2025): The final installment in the trilogy. Impact and Awards Bestseller Status: It is a #1 New York Times bestseller.

is a critically acclaimed young adult novel by Nic Stone, published in 2017. It explores the life of Justyce McAllister, a high-achieving Black teenager who grapples with systemic racism and police brutality in contemporary America. Core Premise and Plot Stone illustrates how prejudice exists not just in

Justyce's white peers often struggle to recognize their own socioeconomic advantages, leading to dismissive attitudes toward racial inequality.