Punching The Air

Punching The Air

When Dr. Yosef Salaam was only fifteen he was hit with a blow
most of us could never have recovered from. He was one of the boys
falsely convicted in the Central Park Jogger Case. Before they were
exonerated he endured years behind bars. Amazingly now he is an
activist, an inspirational speaker, and a poet. Ibi Zoboi is an
immensely talented, award winning Haitian born writer with no qualms
about speaking truth to power. So you know that when the two
collaborate on a book it will be a must read. Punching The Air most
certainly is.
"All because
we were in the wrong place
we were in the wrong skins
we were in the wrong time
we were in the wrong bodies
we were in the wrong country
we were in the wrong
were in the wrong
in the wrong
the wrong
wrong"
Amal lives in a neighborhood that is gentrifying. His neighbors
are being kicked out of their homes. So far his family has been able
to hold on. But white teens have been invading the diminishing space
the original residents have managed to hold on to. One night when
Amal and his friends see the white boys taking over their basketball
courts
"But those white boys
didn't care about no lines
The world belonged to them
including our hood"
simmering resentments flare up. A white boy ends up in a hospital in
a coma. Amal is found guilty in a trial; his four friends take plea
deals. They are all sent to juvie. If the white boy dies he will be
in there for a long time.
"There was no
in-between time
to say goodbye

I went from
kid to criminal to felon
to prisoner to inmate."
Now Amal is in a very bad place. Groups of inmates fight.
Guards are hostile and abusive...
...But there's a woman who comes in to teach a poetry class. If
Amal does well enough in his program he'll get to participate.
Creating poetry and art may be his key to survival.
"I especially know my
art and words
How to bend and twist
them into
truth"
The book itself is narrated eloquently in verse and further
brought to life by black and white images. In the beginning they are
grey and diffuse. Toward the end butterflies seem to fly off the page.
Anyone who cares about the system of juvenile injustice we have
going on in America or just wants to engage with a beautifully
formatted compelling narrative will find Punching The Air to be a must
read.
On a purrrsonal note, I hope you had a great Valentines Day. I sure
did! Eugene took me to Applebees for supper. He also gave me
flowers, candy, and a sweet card. I baked him his favorite applesauce
chocolate chip cookies and got him a card. Tobago gave me lots of
catly affection. The classified employees at Wells liked the bags of
chocolates Michele and I made up for them. Love the day, but hate how
commercialized it is. (Jules)
I got lots of cat treats and attention. (Tobago)
A great big shout out goes out to Eugene.
Tobago and Jules Hathaway



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