Book Review: Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles

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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 killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean.

Tyler Johnson Was Here is a powerful and moving portrait of youth and family that speaks to the serious issues of today--from gun control to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Review:

Wow.

This was a powerful read and at times hard to read book as well. This book touched on police brutality and current race relations. As a woman of color this book made my heart heavy.

I know this is a sensitive topic but it’s one that NEEDS to be discussed. I felt the pain the characters felt while reading. Why am I not enough? Why is my skin color a problem? Why do I get stereotyped and judged all because of the color of my skin? These are things that have gone through my mind. I was raised to accept all people no matter their color, religion etc.  So when others don’t follow suit it always makes me shake my head.

“Yes, I’m willing to die for this cause, but the fact that there’s even a chance that I’ll die, become a hashtag,be remembered briefly, and then be completely forgotten and marked as a statistic fucking terrifies me.”

Let this quote sink in….

I know there are lot of similar stories such as “The Hate U Give” and “Dear Martin” but please don’t pass this story up. It’s a story that needs to be read. Marvin went through so much losing his twin, trying to break the stereotype of “not acting black”, wanting more for himself despite a society telling him he isn’t going to amount to anything. This was my first time reading anything by Jay Coles and it was an excellent read. This book will be going on my top reads list of 2018!