Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Amazon Prime includes:
Fast, FREE Delivery is available to Prime members. To join, select "Try Amazon Prime and start saving today with Fast, FREE Delivery" below the Add to Cart button.
Amazon Prime members enjoy:- Cardmembers earn 5% Back at Amazon.com with a Prime Credit Card.
- Unlimited Free Two-Day Delivery
- Streaming of thousands of movies and TV shows with limited ads on Prime Video.
- A Kindle book to borrow for free each month - with no due dates
- Listen to over 2 million songs and hundreds of playlists
- Unlimited photo storage with anywhere access
Important: Your credit card will NOT be charged when you start your free trial or if you cancel during the trial period. If you're happy with Amazon Prime, do nothing. At the end of the free trial, your membership will automatically upgrade to a monthly membership.
-43% $11.49$11.49
Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com
$7.92$7.92
Ships from: Amazon Sold by: Jenson Books Inc
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
OK
Image Unavailable
Color:
-
-
-
- To view this video download Flash Player
- VIDEO
Audible sample Sample
Punching the Air Hardcover – Illustrated, September 1, 2020
Purchase options and add-ons
New York Times and USA Today bestseller * Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor * Walter Award Winner * Goodreads Finalist for Best Teen Book of the Year * Time Magazine Best Book of the Year * Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year * Shelf Awareness Best Book of the Year * School Library Journal Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
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. A must-read for fans of Jason Reynolds, Walter Dean Myers, and Elizabeth Acevedo.
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, because of a biased system he’s seen as disruptive and unmotivated. 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 think
will be my life
starts today
Suddenly, at just sixteen years old, Amal 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?
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.
- Print length400 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBalzer + Bray
- Publication dateSeptember 1, 2020
- Grade level9 - 12
- Reading age14 - 17 years
- Dimensions5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
- ISBN-100062996487
- ISBN-13978-0062996480
- Lexile measureNP0L
Frequently bought together
Similar items that may deliver to you quickly
Get to know this book
What's it about?
A boy is wrongfully incarcerated and turns to art and poetry to maintain his humanity and fight for the truth.
From the Publisher
|
|
|
---|---|---|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Review
“This book will be Walter Dean Myers’s Monster for a new generation of teens. An important, powerful, and beautiful novel that should be an essential purchase for any library that serves teens.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
"Awardworthy. Soul-stirring. A must-read.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Prescient and sobering, Zoboi’s book is a vital story for young readers in a tumultuous time.” — Booklist (starred review)
“The sympathetic, nuanced portrayal of this young man will have readers holding out hope until the novel’s end.” — Horn Book (starred review)
“Zoboi and Salaam together craft a powerful indictment of institutional racism and mass incarceration through the imagined experience of Amal, a Black, Muslim 16-year-old facing imprisonment.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A mesmerizing novel-in-verse. The poems—sharp, uninhibited and full of metaphors and sensory language—quickly establish Amal's voice, laying bare the anger, despair, hope and talent it holds. Amal's experience of abuse by the system, as well as his peers', incites raw outrage, but his artistic self-expression offers a subtle yet significant kind of hope. It is a hope borne of anger, that knows the full depths of injustice and still dreams of a better future.”
— Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"A wrenching novel whose story, told in verse, is both urgent and heartbreakingly familiar....Amal’s name is the Arabic word for 'hope.' That is what this book ultimately offers, too. Everyone should read it." — New York Times Book Review
“Punching the Air highlights that wrongful convictions, the school-to-prison pipeline and the fear mongering of Black bodies is etched in the United States Constitution itself, ironically in the Thirteenth Amendment that criminalizes slavery but simultaneously creates an entirely new system of enslavement: the American prison system. It is not easy to break these topics down to adults, never mind children. But Punching the Air does so effectively through verse that feels honest and clear." — USA Today
“Amal’s voice is often poetic and compelling, and the details of life in NYC juvie are laceratingly vivid. An engaging and accessible read sure to provoke discussion, perhaps in conjunction with a factual exploration of Salaam’s own experiences or in partnership with Myers’ Monster.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Stories, at their best, will break something old in you or build something new. Remarkably, Punching The Air does both. Zoboi and Salaam have created nothing short of a masterwork of humanity, with lyrical arms big enough to cradle the oppressed, and metaphoric teeth sharp enough to chomp on the bitter bones of racism. This is more than a story. This is a necessary exploration of anger, and a radical reflection of love, which ultimately makes for an honest depiction of what it means to be young and Black in America.”
— Jason Reynolds, award-winning, bestselling author of Long Way Down
“Punching the Air is 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, National Book Award-winning and #1 New York Times bestselling author
“In this beautifully rendered book, we are reminded again of how brilliant and precarious our Black Lives are and how art can ultimately heal us.” — Jacqueline Woodson, award-winning, bestselling author of Brown Girl Dreaming
Praise for BLACK ENOUGH: “A poignant collection of stunning short stories by Black, rock star authors” — Booklist (starred review)
“A breath of fresh air…nuanced and necessary.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Each entry is deftly woven and full of such complex humanity that teens will identify with and see some of their own struggles in these characters... This collection presents the beauty of black humanity in all its many forms.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“The stories, all worth savoring, share a celebratory outlook on black teenagers fully and courageously embracing life.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for PRIDE: “This Bushwick-set, contemporary retelling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice tackles gentriciation, Blackness, and romance with honesty, humor, and heart. This excellent coming-of-age take on a classic belongs on all YA shelves.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
“Stands solidly on its own while cleverly paralleling Austen’s classic… in a contemporary story about race, gentrification, and young love” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Praise for AMERICAN STREET: “Self-assured, elegant and utterly captivating.” — New York Times
“Mixing gritty street life with the tenderness of first love, Haitian Vodou, and family bonds, the book is at once chilling, evocative, and reaffirming.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Filling her pages with magic, humanity, tragedy, and hope, Zoboi builds up, takes apart, and then rebuilds an unforgettable story. This book will take root in readers’ hearts.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Zoboi’s stunning debut intertwines mysticism and love with grit and violence…Fierce and beautiful.” — Booklist (starred review)
“Will reach young readers regardless of their background.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
“A breathtaking story about contemporary America that will serve as a mirror to some and a window for others, and it will stay with anyone who reads it.” — School Library Journal (starred review)
About the Author
Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist; Nigeria Jones, a Coretta Scott King Award winner; Pride; My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich; Star Child; Okoye to the People; the Walter Award–winning Punching the Air, cowritten with Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam; and the Coretta Scott King Honor–winning picture book The People Remember. She is also the editor of the anthology Black Enough. Born in Haiti and raised in New York City, she now lives in New Jersey with her family. You can find her online at ibizoboi.net.
Dr. Yusef Salaam was just fifteen years old when his life was upended after being wrongly convicted with four other boys in the “Central Park jogger” case. In 2002, after the young men spent years of their lives behind bars, their sentences were overturned. Now known as the Exonerated Five, their story has been documented in the award-winning film The Central Park Five by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon and in Ava DuVernay’s highly acclaimed series When They See Us. Yusef is now a poet, activist, and inspirational speaker. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from President Barack Obama, among other honors. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife, Sanovia, and their children. You can find him online at www.yusefspeaks.com.
Product details
- Publisher : Balzer + Bray; Illustrated edition (September 1, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 400 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0062996487
- ISBN-13 : 978-0062996480
- Reading age : 14 - 17 years
- Lexile measure : NP0L
- Grade level : 9 - 12
- Item Weight : 1.02 pounds
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 1.25 x 8.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #159,761 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Videos
Videos for this product
0:37
Click to play video
Punching the Air
Merchant Video
About the author
Ibi Zoboi is the New York Times Bestselling author of American Street, a National Book Award finalist, Pride, a contemporary remix of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and a middle-grade debut, My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. She is the editor of Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America. She co-authored the Walter Award and L.A. Times Book Prize-winning novel-in-verse, Punching the Air, with Exonerated Five member, Yusef Salaam. Her debut picture book, The People Remember, received a Coretta Scott King Honor Award. Her most recent books include Star Child: A Biographical Constellation of Octavia Estelle Butler, and Okoye to the People: A Black Panther Novel for Marvel. Ibi lives in New Jersey with her husband, a high school art teacher, and their three teenage children. Visit Ibi at www.ibizoboi.net.
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
In the end the five would spend 6-13 years behind bars for a crime they did not commit.
Punching the Air is a collaboration between award winning author Ibi Zoboi and Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam. It tells the story of a teenage boy Amal who has been wrongfully convicted of a crime. The book is a beautifully rendered piece that delves into the disenfranchisement of young black men.
“Locking you up isn’t enough
for them They will try to crush your spirit until
you’re nothing but —
Dust
we both say
together”
Written in verse, Punching the Air shows Amal whose name means hope draw strength through creativity. His poems and art are glimpses of freedom that give him hope to carry on.
” And what does dust do, Amal?
What did Maya Angelou say about dust?
Umi asks
It rises, I whisper”
A story told in verse words came to life in my head.
This is the truth in poetry a story.
This is reality.
Amal is an artist, he has aspirations to go to an art college and make a living out of making art. But when he is convicted, he feels all of that has slipped through his fingers.
This book is extremely powerful and intense and I really loved it. It had a steady rhythm in both the points of systematic racism that this book touches upon, as well as the Amal's emotional narrative about his heritage. This touched upon many things that are currently being brought to light in the Black Lives Matter movement and this is extremely relevant to our time.
I do love this but being that this is a book told completely in verse I think its powerful narrative could have been amplified further if I had consumed it as an audio book rather than in physical book form. As much as I love this book, it is definitely meant to be heard and not seen. These verses follow that of spoken word poetry and I might consume it again in the future through my ears rather than through my eyes.
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2020
Amal is an artist, he has aspirations to go to an art college and make a living out of making art. But when he is convicted, he feels all of that has slipped through his fingers.
This book is extremely powerful and intense and I really loved it. It had a steady rhythm in both the points of systematic racism that this book touches upon, as well as the Amal's emotional narrative about his heritage. This touched upon many things that are currently being brought to light in the Black Lives Matter movement and this is extremely relevant to our time.
I do love this but being that this is a book told completely in verse I think its powerful narrative could have been amplified further if I had consumed it as an audio book rather than in physical book form. As much as I love this book, it is definitely meant to be heard and not seen. These verses follow that of spoken word poetry and I might consume it again in the future through my ears rather than through my eyes.
Punching the Air …
“In court dreaming, wish they could see me past the stories.
Passed my story, into my eyes, what really happened.
In prison, two men pull me outta line into a room” (what happens next forces to a pause. Turned the audio book off)
I need a break. I need to absorb and release what happened before I can rejoin from this young man’s perspective. It’s getting more difficult not to cry in his stead.
Listened on audio from the library on the Overdrive app plus bought a hardback to support the author.
This is a fantastic realistic troublesome tale.
Reads like poetry. Locked away inside an untouchable unseen boy
Trigger alert for assault survivors
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💯
A book written in verse (including poems written by Dr Salaam whilst he was in prison) we start off with the court case with the protagonist, Amal, reflecting on his life as we build up to how he got there. The second and third part covers his time in Juve and the system within.
Dr Yusuf Salaam is one of the Exonerated 5, and whilst inspired by his experience it is not about it. Amal is a teenager in modern times with social media and videos helping and hurting his cause.
This book highlighted the many ways in which systems fail black children from teachers, to lawyers and police, judges, media and then of course the correction system.
I’ve refused to watch When They See Us because I don’t know what I’ll do with that anger but this book highlighted many things that made me wonder if the people that failed the Exonerated 5 and countless other children feel remorse; have repented or better yet, been served Karma’s justice.
This is a must read. Not only in the US but any country with disproportionate amounts of people in prison and / or a privatized prison system which South Africa is considering.
Top reviews from other countries
The rithm of its poetry and the truthfulness of its words is remarkable.
I love every detail, and I would just add a couple more illustrations to the edition
The main topic of this book is something that needs to be spoken more about, it is moving, heartbreaking and incredibly important! I genuinely needed to stop myself reading and take a few moments as I was so incredibly moved by them 😭
It is just so beautifully written!!
This book is actually based around the true events of One of the authors of this book - 'Yusef Salaam'. He was only 15 years old when he was falsely imprisoned & lost 10 years of his life. So you know reading this that there is so much truth behind the words.
This book is about a boy who tries to maintain his humanity & also fight for the truth, which you seem that the system is built to strip him of both. This book also covers a failing US system that's drastically needs to change!!
This is a heartbreaking, moving, beautiful book & I recommend everyone to read it!!!
-
Amal’s story of being wrongly incarcerated is told in verse. It’s powerful and bold, filled with so many impactful quotes. I will be rereading this one time and time again.
-
I won an ARC of PUNCHING THE AIR after attending an online event held by Harper Collins. Big thank you to @hccfrenzy for their wonderful events and the great prize!
-
5/5 stars. PUNCHING THE AIR by Ibi Ziboi and Yusef Salaam is out now! My review is based on reading my finished copy.