Punching the Airis 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

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 Jason Reynolds, Walter Dean Myers, and Elizabeth Acevedo.

The story that I thoughtwas my lifedidnt start on the dayI was born

Amal Shahid has always been an artist and a poet. But even in a diverse art school, hes seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. Then one fateful night, an altercation in a gentrifying neighborhood escalates into tragedy. Boys just being boys turns out to be true only when those boys are white.

The story that I thinkwill be my lifestarts today

Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amals bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didnt 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.

• Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
• Hardcover:400 pages
• Publisher:Balzer + Bray (September 1, 2020)
• Language:English
• ISBN-10:0062996487
• ISBN-13:9780062996480
• UNSPSC Code:55101500
• Product Dimensions:5.5 x 1.2 x 8.2 inches
• Shipping Weight:1 pounds