Dear Judge

An insightful look at the tragic misconduct and silenced voices in America's juvenile justice system. Vernell Laquan Banks and Justice McAllister grew up in the Wynwood Heights neighborhood of southwest Atlanta, just a block apart. Years later, Justice is roaming the halls of prestigious Yale University... while Quan languishes behind bars at the Fulton Regional Youth Detention Center. Through a series of flashbacks, vignettes, and letters to Justice—the heroine of "Dear Martin," Quan's story unfolds. Troubles at home and misunderstandings at school lead to confrontations with the police and difficult decisions. But then there's a dead cop and a gun with Quan's fingerprints on it. What leads a bright kid to a murder charge? Even Quan isn't sure. "A powerful, raw, and indispensable novel, told by a young Black man caught in the crosshairs of our corrupt criminal justice system."—Kirkus, starred review