Rashad Butler, a Black teenager, is brutally beaten by a white police officer who wrongly suspects him of shoplifting and assault at a corner store. The incident is witnessed by Quinn Collins, a white classmate who happens to be a surrogate son to that same officer. Told through alternating perspectives, the narrative tracks the following week as a video of the arrest goes viral, polarizing their high school and the local community. While Rashad recovers in the hospital under the scrutiny of the media, Quinn grapples with his loyalty to a family friend versus the evidence of systemic brutality.
This book is intended for young adult readers and educators seeking a direct look at racial profiling and the mechanics of systemic injustice. Readers encounter the psychological conflict of being a bystander and the internal process of unlearning conditioned biases. The text provides a framework for discussing how institutional racism functions in everyday neighborhoods. By the end, the reader sees how individual silence contributes to national problems and understands the social pressure involved in taking a public stand against authority.
Balanced in tone; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Story Seeker. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2015
- Language
- EN
