Review by Booklist Review
Mason, a Black high-school senior, has one goal in life: becoming a rapper. He works hard at his flow, competing in rap battles as he tries to establish himself. His mother is a BLM activist, but Mason has no time for that. He enters his senior year looking forward to coasting through school, prom, senior cut days, and the senior prank, but his guidance counselor brings him up short by telling him he needs one more credit to graduate. She recommends a class on Black poetry, but he's not initially interested. He finally agrees to try it. At first, he has his doubts: the teacher is White, and he questions her ability to teach the class. As the class progresses, students express themselves (mostly through poetry) about race relations, affirmative action, and police shootings. When Mason is attacked by police officers and nearly shot, his perspective changes; he wants to use his talent to improve the community, not just for himself but for everyone. The novel is beautifully written in verse, including raps with strong rhythms and tight, cohesive rhymes. An additional demonstration of Carter's expertise is that the poems written and presented by the students are in different forms, each distinctly unique to the student. This is a brilliantly accessible and widely appealing novel.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A teen with lofty dreams is inspired by poetry and the community that helps him find his voice. Although high school senior Mason Zy'Aire Tyndall has serious aspirations of being a rap star, determined "to fight to keep from becoming another hashtag," he must juggle this ambition and determination with making sure he graduates on time. Down to the wire and needing an elective to fulfill his requirements, Mason ends up with a teacher he's initially skeptical of: "A Caucasian teacher teaching a Black poetry class / Just don't feel right." But the space creates an additional pathway of creativity for him that becomes important to explore after a Black man is murdered by a police officer only a few miles away. This tragedy sparks community protest, and Mason, who later has his own encounter with the police, experiments with expressing the power of his voice. Despite feeling somewhat forced at times, Carter's debut teems with vulnerability and shows a deep reverence for hip-hop, a genre that's grounded in protest. The theme (and spirit) of activism is palpable, and the book includes a section of poems titled after popular hashtags that memorialize primarily Black men and boys killed by the police. At times the language and references seem dated, reflecting a missed opportunity to speak to young readers through their own colloquialisms and generation of rappers. The diverse supporting characters provide healthy tension for the story. A familiar story that glimmers with potential. (Verse fiction. 13-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
