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Novels in verse are quickly becoming one of my favorite genres (especially on audio!) and Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam is no exception. Punching the Air follows Amal in the aftermath of his conviction for a crime he did not commit. It is a beautifully written and compelling story, made more poignant by the knowledge that co-author Yusef Salaam was also wrongfully incarcerated. This story is an emotional one, one that can’t help but make you angry. It highlights the brokenness of our world - from Amal’s teachers to his attorney, from the gentrification of his community to the criminal justice system. We have so much work to do. But it is also a story about love, and art, and hope. Ibi Zoboi reveals in the afterword to the book that one of the first things they decided when writing this book was the main character’s name: Amal, which means hope. via Instagram https://instagr.am/p/CLrdCMJgpAC/