Young Adult

Punching the Air

Punching the Air

  • Downloads：2392
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-09-06 09:55:34
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ibi Zoboi
  • ISBN：0008422141
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

The story that I thought
was my life
didn’t start on the day
I was born

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

The story that I think
will be my life
starts today

Suddenly， at just sixteen years old， Amal’s bright future is upended: he is convicted of a crime he didn’t 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？

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Reviews

Alex ，

One of the most powerful pieces of media I've ever read that chronicles the injustices of societal and judicial racism。 It illustrates the power of hope when all seems lost and knowing your truth even when held up against a metaphorical wall at gun point。 This will be my number one book rec for a long time to come。 One of the most powerful pieces of media I've ever read that chronicles the injustices of societal and judicial racism。 It illustrates the power of hope when all seems lost and knowing your truth even when held up against a metaphorical wall at gun point。 This will be my number one book rec for a long time to come。 。。。more

Ella ，

I hate poetry but I loved this book， it was amazingly written， I've never read a poetry book that lays out such a perfect， easy to follow story with an important meaning behind it， that is clearly portrayed。 I hate poetry but I loved this book， it was amazingly written， I've never read a poetry book that lays out such a perfect， easy to follow story with an important meaning behind it， that is clearly portrayed。 。。。more

jay :） ，

YOOOOOOO THIS WAS SO GOOD I LOVED IT OMG READ IT ITS SO POWERFUL AND PAINFUL

Elaine Ughoc ，

This was a empowering book about the way a young boy who overcomes racism using his mind。 It's remarkable in the way it tells the story and inspires the readers to enforce equality。 This was a empowering book about the way a young boy who overcomes racism using his mind。 It's remarkable in the way it tells the story and inspires the readers to enforce equality。 。。。more

Cathy ，

I honestly wasn't in a reading mood much of summer so this "short， quick" read took much longer than it should have。 It's a good book。 There were a few parts which I assume are Yusef's writing， that were super raw and powerful。 I hate that we need books to tell us about all these racial injustices。 I hate that the injustice exists， not that there is finally media to uncover it。 I liked the afterward that stressed that this was a story of hope。 Because without hope and action with hope there will I honestly wasn't in a reading mood much of summer so this "short， quick" read took much longer than it should have。 It's a good book。 There were a few parts which I assume are Yusef's writing， that were super raw and powerful。 I hate that we need books to tell us about all these racial injustices。 I hate that the injustice exists， not that there is finally media to uncover it。 I liked the afterward that stressed that this was a story of hope。 Because without hope and action with hope there will never be change。 I think if you like Jason Reynold's and Elizabeth Acevedo's verse style writing that you will enjoy this book。 Rating it a 4/5 stars。 。。。more

Brooke Davis ，

Loved this honest and searching novel in verse about a young black male caught in the juvenile system。 His artwork and poetry help him to find meaning in a world that is stacked agai st him。

Valeria ，

I really liked the book punching the air。 The story is about the main character Amal who is a black Muslim teenager who is wrongfully convicted for punching a white boy in his neighborhood and is sent to prison。 Throughout the book you feel bad for Amal and understand his frustration and hopelessness yet he is able to find his comfort within the freedom of art。 One thing that I really liked was how the book was written， with each page being written as almost a piece of poetry。 Something that I f I really liked the book punching the air。 The story is about the main character Amal who is a black Muslim teenager who is wrongfully convicted for punching a white boy in his neighborhood and is sent to prison。 Throughout the book you feel bad for Amal and understand his frustration and hopelessness yet he is able to find his comfort within the freedom of art。 One thing that I really liked was how the book was written， with each page being written as almost a piece of poetry。 Something that I found really interesting was that the co-author had also been wrongfully convicted as a teen， which allows for a well written perspective since the co-author can closely relate to this story。 In the end， this book truly depicted the injustices that youth have wrongfully gone through within the justice system in a beautifully poetic and artistic way。 。。。more

Alen ，

Punching the Air is a story about Amal Shahid， a 16 boy who is an artist and a poet。 He is falsely convicted of a crime he did not commit and is locked up。 While in prison Amal finds a way to express his anger， emotions， and feelings using art。 He draws and writes while reflecting on his life， his situation fuels him to keep expressing himself through his work。 The book talks about problems that are relevant in society today such as racial injustice and prejudice。 Overall the book was very inter Punching the Air is a story about Amal Shahid， a 16 boy who is an artist and a poet。 He is falsely convicted of a crime he did not commit and is locked up。 While in prison Amal finds a way to express his anger， emotions， and feelings using art。 He draws and writes while reflecting on his life， his situation fuels him to keep expressing himself through his work。 The book talks about problems that are relevant in society today such as racial injustice and prejudice。 Overall the book was very interesting and since it was relevant to the world today it made it more enjoyable。 。。。more

Annie Oosterwyk ，

Written by one of the boys accused in the Central Park Five case， this prose novel sets out the stereotypes， hopelessness and racism that confronts young black men in the school to prison pipeline。 Fast paced， well-written， and easy to read， this would be a great HS classroom choice。

Michelle ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This novel reminds me a lot of a previous book I have read before， which I enjoyed a lot。 I personally really liked this book， as I was able to read it in one sitting。 The writing style was also very unique and different from other books I have read， which made me more interested while reading。 This book also speaks about such an important topic that happens in the world。 It’s such a tragic yet so profound book that really opens the minds of readers to this certain situation that the main charac This novel reminds me a lot of a previous book I have read before， which I enjoyed a lot。 I personally really liked this book， as I was able to read it in one sitting。 The writing style was also very unique and different from other books I have read， which made me more interested while reading。 This book also speaks about such an important topic that happens in the world。 It’s such a tragic yet so profound book that really opens the minds of readers to this certain situation that the main character goes through， especially at such a young age。 The fact that he is only 16 years old， yet going through courts and then juvenile detention facilities is messed up because of the system in the society。 The author definitely wrote such a touching story， in a creative writing style。 Really liked this book and will be able to read it again。 。。。more

Paula Casado ，

This book was wonderful， showed a great awareness of real issues。 The character was so powerful and dominant。 I was not able to tell that it was a fictional book， felt so real and realistic。 It was beautifully written， hold place of my favorite fictional book so far。 I would recommend this book to everyone！

Sara Lafta ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Punching the Air， by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam， is a novel written in verse that follows a young Muslim， black boy that has been falsely accused of a crime committed towards a white individual。 As a result， he is sent to prison。 In prison， he is overcome with hopelessness and anger until he turns to art to help him cope。 This book is great at signifying the devastating yet relevant injustices concerning race in the American Justice system。

najleena ，

i finished it in under two hours。 the style of the book is so unique and i loved reading every page。 i would definitely reccomend watching when they see us prior as reading/watching every review and video there is on the topic before reading this book。

Elpida Pavlitsevits ，

Read this book ❤

Christie ，

I try to remember what I privileged position I inhabit when I read books like Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam。 What can I， a white， middle-aged （I know， it’s a stretch to call me middle-aged）， middle-class woman from Eastern Canada， really know about what it is to live in this world as a BIPOC？ Nothing。 It would be a stretch to even say that I have been discriminated against because I am female because if I have been， I haven’t really been aware of it。I do think I have a responsib I try to remember what I privileged position I inhabit when I read books like Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam。 What can I， a white， middle-aged （I know， it’s a stretch to call me middle-aged）， middle-class woman from Eastern Canada， really know about what it is to live in this world as a BIPOC？ Nothing。 It would be a stretch to even say that I have been discriminated against because I am female because if I have been， I haven’t really been aware of it。I do think I have a responsibility， as an educator – sure – but also as a human being， to educate myself and expose myself to experiences that are unfamiliar to me。 It’s not enough to hope that our children will be better humans than we are; we all have to do better。Punching the Air is a novel-in-verse that tells the story of sixteen-year-old Amal Shahid， an artist and poet， who finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in jail for a crime he didn’t commit， although he does admit that he “threw the first punch。” Turns out “…it wasn’t about/who threw the first punch/ It was about courts， turf， space/ Me and them other boys/ were just trying to go home”。Jeremy， the white boy who gets hurt in the altercation is in a coma， and Amal ends up in a juvenile detention facility。 He tries to work through his confusion and anger， but it isn’t easy。 “I went from/kid to criminal to felon/to prisoner to inmate” and despite a supportive family he must navigate his new reality on his own。Punching the Air tracks Amal’s time in the facility where he vacillates between hopelessness and hopefulness。 Although he is not doing hard time with hardened criminals， juvie is still an unpleasant place。 Amal tries to keep his head down。 He goes to school。 He does what is asked of him – mostly。 But he’s a kid and the system is stacked against him and the weight of all those bricks of discrimination weigh heavy on him。I read Punching the Air in an afternoon。 Amal’s voice is clear as a bell。 This experience， while fictional， comes from a place of truth。 Yusef Salaam himself was convicted of a crime he did not commit when he was just fifteen。 （Central Park Five） His experiences with a justice system that is clearly stacked against people of colour – and there is no one in their right mind who could dispute this – adds a layer of authenticity to Amal’s story。 But even without Salaam’s experiences， this novel has much to contribute to the discussion and is a worthy addition to classroom and personal libraries。 I will certainly be recommending it to my students。 。。。more

Karen Hatch ，

Very well written。 I was introduced to a side of life I knew very little about。 So glad I read this。

Jocelyn （●’◡’●）ﾉ ，

Written in the point of view of a black Muslim sixteen-year-old， Amal Shahid， who was wrongfully convicted of a crime。 Amal uses his writing and art to comfort him at a time where he is terrified and irritated。 With the great use of imagery the authors created， readers were able to have a visual into Amal’s mind。 We get an insight into Amal’s thoughts， memories， faith， hope， and how he copes with the chaos around him。 Due to the fact the book was written in verse it was a short read but by fa Written in the point of view of a black Muslim sixteen-year-old， Amal Shahid， who was wrongfully convicted of a crime。 Amal uses his writing and art to comfort him at a time where he is terrified and irritated。 With the great use of imagery the authors created， readers were able to have a visual into Amal’s mind。 We get an insight into Amal’s thoughts， memories， faith， hope， and how he copes with the chaos around him。 Due to the fact the book was written in verse it was a short read but by far a book with a collection of information to educate on。 Some examples of social issues the book covers are institutional racism， systematic oppression， and gentrification。 “。。。innocent until proven guilty”， this quote stuck with me because you become more knowledgeable of the consequences of racism Amal faces and the people around him。 This was my first time reading a book in verse so I was surprised at how quickly I became attached to Amal’s story and his emotions。 Overall Punching the Air was an eye-opening and powerful book。 。。。more

Aisha Reads A Lot ，

Everybody should take the time to read this book。

Eva ，

4 stars

Katie M。 ，

Breathtaking。 A vital piece of modern literature。

Jasmine ，

The story was really good。 The main characters was really relatable and I enjoyed the art that was shown in the book。

Jay G ，

Want to see more bookish things from me？ Check out my Youtube channel: https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCfer。。。*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review* Amal Shahid， is a Black Muslim 16 year old when he is sent to prison for an altercation he was involved in。 He takes refuge in his art and poetry。 This is a very quick read written in verse。 I read this as an audiobook， and I think that the narrator did a really good job telling Amal's story。 I really l Want to see more bookish things from me？ Check out my Youtube channel: https://www。youtube。com/channel/UCfer。。。*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review* Amal Shahid， is a Black Muslim 16 year old when he is sent to prison for an altercation he was involved in。 He takes refuge in his art and poetry。 This is a very quick read written in verse。 I read this as an audiobook， and I think that the narrator did a really good job telling Amal's story。 I really loved how the author's chose a name that meant hope， as his story really is heartbreaking。 The story is told through the events leading up to Amal's incarceration as well as during his time in prison。 You could tell that Salaam was telling his story through Amal， which I found both insightful and heartbreaking。 。。。more

Sara ，

This is such a beautifully written story in verse。 It follows the story of sixteen year old Anal Shahid who is wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit and is sent to a juvenile delinquency prison。 Despite all the challenges that comes with being locked up， he finds a way to maintain a sense of sanity through his art。 This story is a powerful reminder for us all for what happens when a youth is locked up and how much they loose being placed in to the system with a record。 They loose out This is such a beautifully written story in verse。 It follows the story of sixteen year old Anal Shahid who is wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn't commit and is sent to a juvenile delinquency prison。 Despite all the challenges that comes with being locked up， he finds a way to maintain a sense of sanity through his art。 This story is a powerful reminder for us all for what happens when a youth is locked up and how much they loose being placed in to the system with a record。 They loose out on a vital part of their life growing up。 Throughout the story the author provides the reader with a powerful message。 One of hope and what it means to break free and really live as humans should live。 I highly recommend Punching the Air for young adults and adults。 I give this a 5 out 5 stars because reading this book has made a lasting impression on my heart。 It is a book that forever will stay with me。 It's a quick read。 。。。more

Crystal Garcia ，

Punching the air is a beautiful yet devastating novel。 It focuses on teenager， Amal Shahid， who was failed by the justice system solely because of the color of his skin。 This book shines a bright light on real world issues that the black community has had to face for countless years。 This novel is written so perfectly and the idea of it being written in verses to connect Amal's love for poetry and literature it truly brilliant。 The novel， being written by Yusef Salaam， brings much more emotion a Punching the air is a beautiful yet devastating novel。 It focuses on teenager， Amal Shahid， who was failed by the justice system solely because of the color of his skin。 This book shines a bright light on real world issues that the black community has had to face for countless years。 This novel is written so perfectly and the idea of it being written in verses to connect Amal's love for poetry and literature it truly brilliant。 The novel， being written by Yusef Salaam， brings much more emotion and power to it， as Yusef was once wrongfully convicted of a crime as well and was stripped of teenage years。 This book is a perfect representation on the justice system and how our world functions。 Where white people do good and minorities are painted to be in the wrong。 It shines a light on police brutality and how clearly those with darker skin are treated like animals。 Overall， this book brings out strong and powerful emotions， as the reader you feel anger and you also feel sorrow。 This novel is amazing and regardless of the genres one prefers this book is a must-read。 。。。more

Nour Khalili ，

this was such a beautiful and amazing story to read and i loved every part of it。 it was a bit slow during the middle when nothing was really happening， and i felt like this book was more of a read it all at once or don’t pick it up for a month kind of book。

E ，

PHENOMENAL！ Absolutely and utterly phenomenal！I could understand the frustration and what scares me is that this is most people's reality。YOU COULD NEVER DO NO WRONG！ YOU COULD NEVER MAKE A MISTAKE！It made me so angry that if Amal acted out in anyway （completely justified） that his fate would be behind prison bars。 I'm still gathering my thoughts， but this book has given me something to think about， these existing internal prejudices and stereotypes will affect the way you treat certain people a PHENOMENAL！ Absolutely and utterly phenomenal！I could understand the frustration and what scares me is that this is most people's reality。YOU COULD NEVER DO NO WRONG！ YOU COULD NEVER MAKE A MISTAKE！It made me so angry that if Amal acted out in anyway （completely justified） that his fate would be behind prison bars。 I'm still gathering my thoughts， but this book has given me something to think about， these existing internal prejudices and stereotypes will affect the way you treat certain people and I can only hope to work towards removing these for me personally！ 。。。more

Booksandcappuccino ，

Un roman en vers libres hyper bien écrit。 Une histoire rude et difficile qui démontre les défauts du système carcéral américain， le racisme qui s’y trouve et le combat des prisonniers。 Un roman puissant que j’ai adoré et qui se dévore en une soirée！ Un roman inspiré d’une histoire vraie dont j’écouterai certainement l’adaptation sur Netflix！！ À lire absolument！！

Savva Belomestnov ，

The book's messaging around systemic racism and structural violence may be heavy-handed， counting on clunky exposition and inventory characters as opposed to trusting Amal and the reader to regularly wake up to a extra recognition of those troubles through the story。 The writing， however， may be fascinating and powerful， specifically whilst it allows we as the readers into Amal's life。 Spare and simple verses offer vibrant， rhythmic bursts whilst he spits his rhymes。 He is a splendidly complicat The book's messaging around systemic racism and structural violence may be heavy-handed， counting on clunky exposition and inventory characters as opposed to trusting Amal and the reader to regularly wake up to a extra recognition of those troubles through the story。 The writing， however， may be fascinating and powerful， specifically whilst it allows we as the readers into Amal's life。 Spare and simple verses offer vibrant， rhythmic bursts whilst he spits his rhymes。 He is a splendidly complicated primary character， neither sinner nor saint， sheltered but aware， not a boy however now no longer a child， and an essential counter to the stereotypes of Black teenage boys that saturate the media。 。。。more

Zoe Marte ，

This novel is amazing， one of the best books I have read。 I have never read a novel that was written completely in poetry。 I am so glad that this was the first novel I read that is told in verse。 This novel was so beautiful and captivating that once I finished reading it， I had to sit in silence and absorb it。 It left me speechless。 This book addresses corruption and racism in the legal system， injustices to black people， discrimination， and family dynamics。 The story follows a young man named A This novel is amazing， one of the best books I have read。 I have never read a novel that was written completely in poetry。 I am so glad that this was the first novel I read that is told in verse。 This novel was so beautiful and captivating that once I finished reading it， I had to sit in silence and absorb it。 It left me speechless。 This book addresses corruption and racism in the legal system， injustices to black people， discrimination， and family dynamics。 The story follows a young man named Amal and his journey through trial and juvie。 One night he and his friends got into a fight with a group of young white men， and one fell into a coma。 Even though Amal was not the one who put the kid in the coma， he was still accused because of his black skin。 This book made me feel so many emotions， it is such an amazing story。 I loved it。 。。。more

Lillian Velez ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I genuinely loved the book。 The depth and complex ideas behind the seemingly simply written book really effected me。 I found myself going through all the emotions that Amal was experiencing。 I cried when he felt he sad and smiled when good things happened to him。 I especially felt connected to the book when Amal spoke of Umi， I felt that I could relate to his strong and loving bond with his mother。 Seeing how Umi did everything she could for him really effected me because i felt I coould relate。 I genuinely loved the book。 The depth and complex ideas behind the seemingly simply written book really effected me。 I found myself going through all the emotions that Amal was experiencing。 I cried when he felt he sad and smiled when good things happened to him。 I especially felt connected to the book when Amal spoke of Umi， I felt that I could relate to his strong and loving bond with his mother。 Seeing how Umi did everything she could for him really effected me because i felt I coould relate。 I also really loved how Zenobia was used as a way to give Amal hope， she was the light at the end of a very dark tunnel for him。 I interpreted it as the hope of seeing her again and being with her kept him strong even when he was being treated like less than by many of the people who worked in the juvenile detention center。 The use of word placement on the pages was also something I really enjoyed。 It gave the book more life as the placement of the words related to what was occurring。 I felt like I learned a lot through Amal about the racism still present in the United States， and the social issues that people try not to discuss as long as it doesn’t benefit them。 It opened my eyes a lot more to what really happens to minorities in this country and how unfair it can be。 Especially since the story was inspired off the real life events of Yusuf Salaam， which further showed me that these issues aren’t just a story someone made up， instead it is the reality of many。 In conclusion， I was very moved by this book， it made me think a lot about the world we live in。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Punching the Air

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Punching the Air&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Punching the Air&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0