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Tyler Johnson Was Here

Jay Coles (Goodreads Author)

3.89 · Rating details · 4,043 ratings · 985 reviews

When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.

The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and ...more

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Hardcover, 304 pages

Published March 20th 2018 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

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Average rating 3.89 ·

Rating details

· 4,043 ratings · 985 reviews

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Sep 11, 2017 Elle (TheBookishActress) rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: everyone.

Shelves: author-love, z-coverporn, y-out2018, favorite-characters, z-read2017, x-arcs, contemporary, trauma-abuse-recovery, characters-of-color, 4-star

“People don’t fucking know that black folks were never included in all. All-American means white. All-inclusive means white. All lives means white lives. It’s bullshit. White dolls always make it about them, and I’m pissed that they’re trying to mask their hatred with these tags.”

For once, a book is just as amazing as the cover. A story about police brutality, focused around a boy whose brother is shot by a police officer. And, as I think most of you may have guessed, the shooting occurred u ...more

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Nov 12, 2018 Emma Giordano rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks

Review to come!

CW: racism, police brutality, gang violence, drug use, death/grief

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Apr 14, 2018 C.G. Drews rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, read-2018, ya-male-narrators, young-adult

This is such a heartwrenching (and important) read. And I am just a bucket of sad right now...this one hit hard. I'm really glad books like this are getting published (and #ownvoices narratives are so important) so when I say "this is depressing" I don't mean it's something that shouldn't be said!! We need to be told these types of stories again and again until the world changes.

But seriously I am just 😭😭

I also want to whisper that I I loooove the cover so much. It is so soft™ and I feel like it ...more

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Sep 12, 2017 ✨ jamieson ✨ marked it as to-read

Shelves: random-choice-tbr, favourite-covers, anticipated-2018

THIS COVER

i love that ya puts soft black boys on their covers now i love it ...more

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Feb 14, 2018 Cristina Monica rated it liked it

Shelves: racism, family, social-issues

‘‘The human heart is like a sponge. There’s a way to squeeze out all the hurt you don’t want. And somewhere in that hurting heart of yours,’’ she says, ‘‘you’ll find some strength to go on.’’

The Hate U Give meets Dear Martin.

3.5 stars. This is not a mystery novel. Yes, Marvin’s brother, Tyler Johnson, disappears and, yes, Marvin does make it his mission to find him and bring him home, but this situation is dealt with quicker than I had anticipated and it’s clear, in hindsight, that the author re ...more

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Sep 15, 2017 Trina (Between Chapters) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: audiobooks, standalones, 2018, 2018-favorites, contemporary, ownvoices, young-adult

Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Powerful.

Content warnings: This book deals with topics like police brutality and racism. There is some drug dealing. There are a couple of instances where a parent threatens physical punishment toward their child. Grief is a major theme. If it is harmful to you, you may want to know that the N- word is used, but it is written by a black author and said by a black character and not as an aggression.

This is compared to The Hate U Give and yes, they do deal with similar to ...more

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Apr 27, 2018 Malia rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya

This is a difficult review to write, and I am slightly conflicted. I give Tyler Johnson Was Here four stars, because this book tells an important and sadly all too relevant story. Again and again, we hear the disturbing reports of police brutality, of people being murdered for nothing more than their skin color, or living in a dangerous neighborhood they lack the means to escape. It is shocking and sad and the fact that the plot is based somewhat on the author's real experiences, makes it all th This is a difficult review to write, and I am slightly conflicted. I give Tyler Johnson Was Here four stars, because this book tells an important and sadly all too relevant story. Again and again, we hear the disturbing reports of police brutality, of people being murdered for nothing more than their skin color, or living in a dangerous neighborhood they lack the means to escape. It is shocking and sad and the fact that the plot is based somewhat on the author's real experiences, makes it all the more so. I whole-heatedly wish him success in telling his story and spreading his message of awareness. Something has to change, and though I do not know where to begin, talking about it is hopefully a start.

I grew up in a small town in Germany and was told to trust the police. In German, there is a saying "Die Polizei - dein Freund und Helfer" (the police - your friend and helper) and I lived by this. I was told, if I got lost, or something bad happened, I could turn to the police and they would help me. The notion that I should fear them was utterly foreign to me. The talk Tyler and Marvin's mother has with her boys in this book, about keeping their heads down, about watching out for the police, is one my parents never had to have with my sisters or with me, and I realize how privileged we are for this. Though by now, of course, I know that many people in the US (where I currently live and have for many years), grew up without this thought of the police as a societal safety net. There are many policemen and women, one cannot forget, who are truly good and helpful people, who respect their duty to the community, no matter the color of anyone's skin, or their background. But one cannot ignore that there are also many, whose prejudice has provoked them to cause irreparable damage and rarely face the consequences. To bring attention to this and to encourage a conversation to provoke change and awareness, I think books like Tyler Johnson Was Here are valuable and important, and I hope they are being read and discussed in classrooms.
There is something visceral, almost intrusive about the way the author confronts the reader with the grief of this broken family, that will force readers of all ages to think. Jay Coles strips away barriers, forcing you to see, feel, hear the pain of loss and to comprehend how utterly senseless violence is. Though the writing was, perhaps, not incredibly polished, and I saw some flaws and oversimplifications in his approach, I can see this author having a promising career ahead of him.

Now, I know I said I was conflicted about writing this review, and I want to explain. I am happy to rate this book four stars, because it was thought-provoking and told a truly important story. My little niggle is that I could tell this was a debut, by which I mean, I felt the language was a bit immature, some of the ideas not as developed as they could have been, and the writing not its strongest point. I also found it was a little simplistic to make the majority of white people out to be racists and inherently bad (not just the police, but also the MIT rep, who makes it clear Tyler could only get into the school to fill a diversity quota). There is also a scene in which one of Marvin's friends says he hates white people and when his other friend says that he is being racist, too, Marvin reasons that he is only prejudiced, not racist, which I found to be a problematic and unformed dismissal. Generalizing against groups of people based on skin color is not a step forward - as I thought the author was trying to say, so it seemed counter-productive to offer so little nuance. This area of the book could have been given a more consideration. If we want change, we all have to work together. Coles also makes use of a vast number of metaphors and similes, which felt too much at times, but overuse of these is also a bit of a pet peeve for me, so this could simply be a personal issue. The protagonists may be teenagers, but that is also the case in The Hate U Give and Dear Martin, and I was deeply impressed with both. That being said, the author of Tyler Johnson Was Here is very young, only twenty-two, I believe, and for that, this book is definitely quite a feat. And despite slightly unpolished writing at times, and a few under-developed issues, there were many incredibly moving scenes and the author doesn’t shy away from portraying the protagonist‘s emotions in light of what had happened to his family. I wish Jay Coles success in both his writing and activism, and though this book wasn't perfect, it was a solid way to send a message which I hope is heard and inspires change.

Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com ...more

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Jul 16, 2018 Chloe rated it really liked it

Shelves: cover-love, audiobooks, 2018-reads, own-voices

“I’ve spent too much time wondering what people think of me and spent so long trying to look good enough for Dodson, for white people, for Mama, for everyone except myself. And I think it’s my time to finally be who I am, who I want to be”

This tackles racism and police brutality, and is an important and powerful read. I am always thankful for these stories for the insight they provide, and I hope to continue seeing BLM novels being published. I will never know/can't even imagine what it's like ...more

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May 08, 2018 Obsidian rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-library-books

I struggled with this rating, but honestly, a good intent doesn't mean a thing if I cannot get into your book. Coles takes on the "Black Lives Matter" movement with "Tyler Johnson Was Here." I saw some people giving lip service to this being just like "The Hate U Give."

description

Honestly, other books don't have to be like "The Hate U Give." They just need to be able to stand on their own. And "Tyler Johnson Was Here" read like a first draft of a book. This really needed developed more. I felt at times as ...more

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Feb 17, 2019 Erin rated it it was amazing

Shelves: february-2019, jar-of-death, contemporary-a-thon, african-american-author

Contemporary A Thon: Read a diverse contemporary
- Read a contemporary with a picture on the spine

Jar of Death Pick #7 (5th finished)

I bought this book the day it came out but I just couldn't bring myself to read it. Books like this hit extremely close to home for most Black people. We never know when we might get murdered for simply being Black. For White people the police are there to help you, for Black people we don't know if we will survive an interaction with the police. If you are Black ...more

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Jan 19, 2017 Ricky rated it really liked it

Shelves: young-adult

Jay Coles may be young, but don't you dare count that against him. Not when he's got a debut novel so stark and powerful as this one. Cut from much the same cloth as All American Boys, The Hate U Give, and Dear Martin, Tyler Johnson Was Here brings Black Lives Matter to the forefront of YA once again. It's the story of two black boys, twins Tyler and Marvin Johnson, both very smart and very bright and very vivacious, but they're starting to drift apart a bit lately...and then Tyler turns up dead Jay Coles may be young, but don't you dare count that against him. Not when he's got a debut novel so stark and powerful as this one. Cut from much the same cloth as All American Boys, The Hate U Give, and Dear Martin, Tyler Johnson Was Here brings Black Lives Matter to the forefront of YA once again. It's the story of two black boys, twins Tyler and Marvin Johnson, both very smart and very bright and very vivacious, but they're starting to drift apart a bit lately...and then Tyler turns up dead, and video leaks revealing it's a cop who killed him. That much is in the blurb that's been known about the book for months, but what's a little surprising is that this horrific act actually doesn't catalyze the events of the book from the beginning. Instead, it happens more in the middle. I actually appreciated that the book and its marketing were more upfront about what happens, rather than leaving it to be a twist for shock factor or something.

What really stands out about this book is that Tyler isn't a perfect angel. He makes bad choices, hangs out with the wrong people (Johntae, in particular, reeks of so much toxic masculinity.) Still, though, winding up dead for his choices wouldn't happen...in a just world. Which, of course, is precisely the point.

But Tyler and Marvin, they're the kind of characters who pop off the page. Marvin, of course, has to because he's the narrator, but Tyler, as his old womb-mate...well, nobody else can tell Tyler's story the way Marvin can. And all the while, despite the nastiness Marvin gets from the police and Principal Dodson and the like, he's got a great support system from his friends G-mo and Ivy, as well as his girlfriend Faith, and of course his parents. Though we only get to see the twins' dad through letters written from prison, he shows his love just as strongly as Mama does.

The best parts of the book, for me, are the little things in life for which Marvin shows such appreciation. His being a fanboy - specifically, of A Different World, and building on that, his application to Howard University (the other big roll call in this book, other than the names of police brutality victims with Tyler Johnson included, being famous Howard alumni like Taraji P. Henson.) The love of family and friends. And, hell, I couldn't resist a nice chuckle at Marvin talking about "unapologetically masturbating." Wish I could know how that feels, lol.

There's a lot left open at the end of this book, but that works very well for it, because it shows better, and more implicitly, how much work needs to be done to right the wrongs done by racism to this society.

Whatever Jay Coles writes next, you'll be damned sure I'm reading it as soon as possible.

Now to get my work to finally stock this book. My friends and I have now tried TWICE to bring Tyler Johnson to our bosses' attention. Hopefully we won't have to wait for the third time to be the charm on that front.

P.S. I actually had a character named Tyler Jackson in my own books, but after I found out this book was coming out, I decided to rename my character to avoid confusion if and when I ever get published. ...more

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Apr 23, 2018 kav (xreadingsolacex) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, black-fiction, hard-hitting-contemp, books-with-dark-themes, young-adult-contemporary, stories-of-hope, bad-bitches

I hated this book with everything in me. And by that, I mean it’s easily one of my favorite books of all-time.

Tyler Johnson Was Here is the story of a teen, Marvin Johnson, whose twin brother, Tyler, goes missing and is later found dead. Tyler Johnson Was Here is a story of the truth, the ugly truth we want to avoid but black people can't avoid because their safety, their freedom, and their lives are at risk because of their skin color.

The first I noticed about this books is how unapologetically I hated this book with everything in me. And by that, I mean it’s easily one of my favorite books of all-time.

Tyler Johnson Was Here is the story of a teen, Marvin Johnson, whose twin brother, Tyler, goes missing and is later found dead. Tyler Johnson Was Here is a story of the truth, the ugly truth we want to avoid but black people can't avoid because their safety, their freedom, and their lives are at risk because of their skin color.

The first I noticed about this books is how unapologetically rooted in black culture it is. And I don’t just mean in how it tackles police brutality, but I mean in every sentence it is rooted in black culture. And that is so unbelievably beautiful.

The second thing I noticed was how casually diverse this book is. All of our primary characters are black, and I never would have imagined seeing that in a book. Furthermore, there’s also a sapphic secondary character who is honestly my queen. And, to really solidify this, there are three badass black women in this novel.

This book also celebrates relationships of all kinds - familial relationships, friendships, and romantic relationships. The difference between Marvin and the man who murdered his brother is that Marvin's story, though there was so much valid rage and sadness in it, still had love. The man who murdered Tyler only had hate.

And whereas, I loved absolutely *everything* about this novel, including the writing, plot, characters, relationships, and more, I can't focus on any of that here because I need to focus on the most important part of this book - how it tackles police brutality.

I cried so much reading this book [good thing I was in public right?]. I cried when we had to see a cop brutally attack a black teen just for being black. I cried when Tyler went missing. I cried, a lot, when he was found dead. And then, like Marvin, I was angry. I was angry that his brother was ripped from him just because of the color of his skin.

And this book is not purely fiction. This book is the truth of so many black people out there who became a hashtag for two days and then are forgotten and never get justice. And that is what this book will tell you. It will show you the reality you need to see.

And this book is so emotionally powerful. I have a sister who is basically my best friend, and I just couldn’t shake that feeling of the love I have for her while reading this and seeing Marvin lose his best friend, his other half.

It was goddamn painful reading this book. But it’s a book we all need to read because we need to see the truth. We need to acknowledge that Tyler and Marvin's story is not fiction, it’s the reality for black people throughout America.

Read this book. Please. ...more

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Oct 19, 2018 Laura (bbliophile) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: diversity, 2018-releases

I feel dehydrated from crying

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Mar 22, 2018 ambsreads rated it it was ok

Shelves: not-for-me, young-adult, romance, contemporary

Review to come.

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Mar 27, 2018 Abida's Book Adventures rated it really liked it

Shelves: interesting-cover

Warning: This is not a political review by any means. This is just my honest thoughts and opinions about this book. Please do not feel offended by anything that I have written.

AHHHH this book is amazing!!! I have never cried so much in my life before (except when I'm cutting an onion.) This book will give you the feels, you will laugh, cry, and get mad. I have never read a book like this before. On a side note, can we please take a moment to appreciate the book cover; it is gorgeous!

Police Br Warning: This is not a political review by any means. This is just my honest thoughts and opinions about this book. Please do not feel offended by anything that I have written.

AHHHH this book is amazing!!! I have never cried so much in my life before (except when I'm cutting an onion.) This book will give you the feels, you will laugh, cry, and get mad. I have never read a book like this before. On a side note, can we please take a moment to appreciate the book cover; it is gorgeous!

Police Brutality
I consider myself not to be political on Goodreads. It's my happy place, where I find new books read. However, reading this book makes me realize how the fiction we read can easily be real. There are people out there who truly hate other races and cultures for no reason. Living in 2018 one would think that the world is a safe and accepting place, but the truth is that we are nowhere near close to acceptance. We live in the world where scenarios like these are being so common and it's just not enough to like and share a post. Something has to be done.

The Characters
Marvin is truly an inspirational character. I love him, I wish I knew more people like Marvin. His love for his brother was mesmerizing. Reading about Marvin’s perspective as a Black boy was sad. Unfortunately, I have not read enough books with an African American main character, and even fewer books with an African American male. I wish that there were more books with black characters in without that being the main focus.
Marvin's Mama's role was amazing, she had me in tears more than once. On the other hand, the remaining character felt underdeveloped and noticed. I felt as though we needed to know about the surrounding characters and their struggles.

The Plot
The plot was great! However, there were a lot of parts in the book where At the end of this book, I was felt feeling a little hopeless and hopeful at the same. When I finished the book I couldn't believe that I finished the book; it was bittersweet. There were many parts in the book where the book didn’t fully come together, some parts seemed a little unnecessary or too long.

Final Thoughts/ Ratings
Originally I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars but after a few days, I was about to process my thoughts and critique the book better. The reason why I changed the rating because this book seemed to be missing a few things. Some the character seemed to be underdeveloped. Also, the pace of the book seemed to be a little off.
Overall I would recommend this book to anyone. This book showed the other side of the story, it made me realize how normal these tragedies are occurring and how little is being done about it. Reading this book was a great experience. ...more

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Apr 05, 2018 K. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it-kindle, 2018, audience-young-adult, own-voices, difficult-topics, 2020, diverse-author, contemporary, poc-narrator, setting-usa

Trigger warnings: racism, police brutality, violence, gun violence, death of a sibling, authority figures who shouldn't be in positions of authority oh my God I am so mad right now.

28/6/2020
On reread, I'm bumping this down to 4 stars. Why? The pacing more than anything. It's a fairly short book - only 300 pages - and essentially the first half of it is set up and reporting Tyler missing. As a result, the second half of the story feels somewhat rushed. But everything else I said last time around ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Aleksandra rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-releases

Tyler Johnson Was Here is amazing book and definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! It's beautifully written, the characters are complex and their relationships are realistic. It's a YA contemporary about life, grief, anger and hurt black people have to live with and through in the USA in the 21th century.

The book is told from the point of view of Marvin Johnson, who's twin brother Tyler goes missing after the party went wrong. Marvin and his best friends G-mo and Ivy start looking for h ...more

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Mar 21, 2018 Jazmen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Tyler Johnson Was Here--did not come to be politically correct, or racially ambiguous. Tyler Johnson came to tell an ugly truth, and made no qualms about sharing its blackness, in it's raw and true form.

Tyler Johnson Was Here is an experience I found both realistic and painful. It wasn't very verbose--or even eloquent for that matter. But, it was well-written and specific in it's story telling.

Tyler Johnson was here is about a set of twins, Tyler and Marvin. Marvin and Tyler go to a party--a sho ...more

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Jan 27, 2019 TheEuphoricZat rated it really liked it

Woah!!! This book packed a punch.
This is a different perspective of the outcome of police brutality and it just brings the world problem to the surface again.
As a black person who has lived in Africa (Nigeria) all my life it is a bit difficult for me to express and feel the pain of racism. But I did work in the US during the summer and I felt the difference my skin color made to a lot of people. I would agree that not everyone see it this way.
There is this part in the book where Marvin talks abo ...more

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Jun 10, 2020 Emily rated it really liked it

“I tell myself that I love this skin, that I’ve always loved my blackness, that if the world doesn’t love me, I will love myself for the both of us. After reminding myself that I matter, that I always mattered, that Tyler mattered and still does, I make a promise to myself. I promise that I’ll never be silent about things that matter, that I’ll keep on saying his name for the rest of my days.”

It’s uncanny how much the events of Tyler Johnson Was Here—published in 2018—parallel the George Flo

“I tell myself that I love this skin, that I’ve always loved my blackness, that if the world doesn’t love me, I will love myself for the both of us. After reminding myself that I matter, that I always mattered, that Tyler mattered and still does, I make a promise to myself. I promise that I’ll never be silent about things that matter, that I’ll keep on saying his name for the rest of my days.”

It’s uncanny how much the events of Tyler Johnson Was Here—published in 2018—parallel the George Floyd protests today, in 2020. There are so many similarities that it chills your blood. An unarmed black man killed by a racist cop; a girl filming the murder; racial profiling leading to knees on backs and police brutality; the video going viral, spawning hashtags and debate from social justice warriors; an impactful protest turning violent; riot police firing rubber bullets and infringing upon the First Amendment; a family torn apart; Twitter bigots unleashing a tirade of hate; an agonizing trial and a contested murder charge; frustration and grief, almost resigned to the fact that this same story happens again and again and will continue to do so until America wakes up. Even the chants and the hashtags are the same ones being uttered in the streets today and trending today, word-for-word. No justice, no peace. What does it mean, that a fictional book from 2018 is being played out in real life, once again?

No, Tyler Johnson Was Here isn’t a literary masterpiece—it’s very YA, and it’s as subtle as a brick (an observation which Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie decries in Americanah, because not all black-voices literature has to be subtle to be powerful)—but its merits lie elsewhere. Jay Coles writes with heart and passion, practically pleading with the world to redress anti-black police brutality. He gives an intimate look at the emotional fallout that will irrevocably impact the victim’s family. The book makes you feel empathy and the burn of injustice. It’s a highly relevant must-read.

Before reading it, I happened upon a New York Times op-ed posted this morning, arguing that this time, it will be different and America will change, George Floyd being the straw that broke the camel’s back. Perhaps it’s true, and the flood of outrage, grief, and protesting isn’t falling on deaf ears, and so the Tyler Johnsons of real life can finally rest in peace.

“My pops used to warn us about the police. He used to say, like all things in the world, there are good ones and bad ones. He used to say get a good look at the cop’s face ’cause that makes all the difference. He used to say memorize the badge number or the license plate number. That’s why I recorded what I saw after the party. Video footage seems like the only way people will even hear us sometimes.”

...more

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Mar 22, 2018 Sol ~ TheBookishKing added it

Shelves: dnf

DNF @ 35%

Y'all ever have those books that you just KNOW are going to be so amazing and beautiful and then you start it and it's like you get hit by a big o'le "NOPE" train?! That's exactly how I felt with this book. I was expecting something empowering and moving and uhmmmmmm I was just heavily annoyed. The characters are so bland and the writing is bland. I JUST REALLY WANTED TO LOVE THIS OKAY. I REALLY DID. but yeah nope, it just didn't cut it for me. I do love that with this coming out that t ...more

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Mar 20, 2018 Erica rated it it was ok

Shelves: blacklivesmatter, dead-friends-and-family, judging-the-book-by-its-cover, meh, ya, flat-characters, terribly-disappointing, cataloged_it, mothers-and-their-kids, real-life-fiction

For a book about a black life that mattered, I know nothing about Tyler Johnson or his twin brother, Marvin. This entire story is about Marvin and his twin brother, Tyler, and how they matter.

I feel about this the same way I feel about I Am Alfonso Jones - the story is going to resonate with some readers, they will feel Marvin's anger, confusion, and despair, they will understand the rage and loss he feels at finding his brother was another unarmed black youth killed by a white police officer. T ...more

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Sep 12, 2017 Rena added it

Shelves: library, deweys-readathon

This cover... 💖

Dewey's #Readathon Book 2 - I had only 100 or so pages left to read, so I finished this one pretty quickly. I have thoughts about Tyler Johnson Was Here, and I'll leave them here later...

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Nov 08, 2017 Rec-It Rachel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018-releases, 2017-reads

Wow
wow
wow
wow
wow
wow
wow
wow
wow
I literally could not put that down

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Aug 02, 2018 rachel ☾ added it

Shelves: rep-bipoc-author, rep-bipoc, contemporary, deserves-more-hype

Sometimes people need reminding that they matter, more than they need reminding that they're alive, because sometimes being alive just isn't enough.

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May 07, 2018 Vanessa rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary, young-adult

Books like these are very important and deserve to be published and read. The 'Black Lives Matter' movement is dear to me and should be to anyone. There's need of more novels that deal with this topic, especially if marketed for young adults. BUT I want them to be original, at least.
And by "original", this is what I mean.

The Hate U Give is a glorious best-seller. After one year and two months, it's still on top charts. Everyone raved and still raves about it and a film is going to come out. It ...more

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Apr 21, 2018 Romie rated it really liked it

Shelves: poc, young-adult, contemporary, 2018-releases, owned-books

People will try to convince you that you don’t deserve to live.
That you don't deserve to exist.
They’ll ignore your voice. Lock you up.
They’ll even kill you to take you out of this world.
And through it all, you have to fight. Fight to remind yourself that you do matter. That you do deserve to exist. That you do deserve to have your voice heard.

I dare you to read this book without crying at least once. I personally couldn’t. It is one of the hardest books I’ve ever had to read. I hate my reading e People will try to convince you that you don’t deserve to live.
That you don't deserve to exist.
They’ll ignore your voice. Lock you up.
They’ll even kill you to take you out of this world.
And through it all, you have to fight. Fight to remind yourself that you do matter. That you do deserve to exist. That you do deserve to have your voice heard.

I dare you to read this book without crying at least once. I personally couldn’t. It is one of the hardest books I’ve ever had to read. I hate my reading experience. Simply hated it. I wanted to stop reading every five seconds simply because I couldn’t stop wanting to cry. This book is brutal, this book is the harsh truth. This book will break your heart, will make you want to scream, will make you understand that things cannot stay the way they are right now.

This is the story of a black boy losing his twin to police brutality. This is the story of Marvin trying to know where is brother Tyler is, what happened to him. This is the story of Tyler being murdered by a police officer simply because he’s black. He’s not murdered for carrying a weapon, or being a bad guy, but for the colour of his skin. And you know what? Even if he were carrying a weapon, which he wasn’t, or were a bad guy, which he still wasn’t, he still wouldn’t have deserved to die. And yet he did. He did because American, my dear, your racism is showing. You’re not fooling anyone with your ‘men are all created equal’ because it looks like you don’t believe in your own Constitution.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the writing, nor of the romance, but these things don’t matter when this story is so important, when this story deserves to be read. This book will break you into pieces because of how raw and powerful it is. This book is a cry for justice. A cry for black people to stop being murdered by police officers, people who should be the very ones protecting them.

I read it in two hours, I couldn’t put it down, I could stop my tears from falling, but I had to keep on reading.

4.5 ...more

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Jul 05, 2019 Ardent Reader rated it it was amazing

Shelves: stand-alone, favorites, reviews-on-books, 5-star-rating

Heartbreaking

This is very similar to the The hate you give by Angie Thomas.
This book reveals about the skin discrimination where all black people are being cornered in the life which is happening even right now in the world.

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Jan 20, 2017 Cody Roecker marked it as to-read

Jay Coles is a voice we need in YA today, and you bet your ass I am going to read this book. And I will more likely than not be pushing this on everyone I meet once I have done so.

I need this immediately

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Jun 24, 2018 Enne (they/them) rated it liked it

Shelves: rep-bipoc, rep-lgbtqiap, own-voices, 2018-reads, 3-and-a-half-star, pov-1st, genre-contemporary, important-reads, reviewed, cover-love

”All-American means white. All-inclusive means white. All lives means white lives. It’s bullshit. White folks always make it about them.”

3.5 stars
TW: police brutality, gun violence, death, racism

The Writing
I found the descriptions in the writing to be a bit simple at times, which definitely gave this a debut-novelly kind of feel. That wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but just something I thought was worth noting. I did find some of the internal dialogue to be a bit underwhelming and forced a ...more

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About Jay Coles

Jay Coles

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Jay Coles is a MG and YA author. He lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with two dogs nicknamed Bonnie and Clyde. Also, Jay is a teacher, blogger, composer/musician and a proud member of ASCAP!

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“I’m seeing so many All Lives Matter bullshit posts that have my entire body shaking. People don’t fucking know that black folks were never included in the All. All-American means white. All-inclusive means white. All lives means white lives. It’s bullshit. White folks always make it about them, and I’m pissed off that they’re trying to mask their hatred with these tags.” — 7 likes

“I prayed for twenty years. Nothing happened until I got off my knees and started marching with my feet.” — 6 likes

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