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Punching the Air
- Narrated by: Ethan Herisse
- Length: 4 hrs and 29 mins
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Publisher's summary
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. Perfect 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, he's seen as disruptive and unmotivated by a biased system. 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's bright future is upended: he 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.
A Conversation with Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam, and Ethan Herisse On Bringing Amal's Story to Life
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- Narrated by: Scott Keiji Takeda, Dan Woren, Ryan Potter, and others
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco. Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted. Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps. In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart.
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There are few words
- By Riceball0413 on 09-28-20
By: Traci Chee
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Point B
- A Teleportation Love Story
- By: Drew Magary
- Narrated by: Rebecca Soler
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When the corporate monolith PortSys brought porting to the masses, CEO Emilia Kirsch and her son, Jason, accomplished what every other start-up company had failed to deliver. They really did change the world. They reversed climate change. They created a multitrillion-dollar industry out of thin air, curing economic woes across the globe. They made it so that anyone could be anywhere simply by touching a screen...including the man who murdered Sarah Huff. Now, Sarah’s 17-year-old sister, Anna, is determined to hunt the bastard down. But there are a few problems.
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Sherry Potter’s only got one spell: portkey
- By aaron gilbert on 11-02-20
By: Drew Magary
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The Rebel of Raleigh High
- Raleigh Rebels Series, Book 1
- By: Callie Hart
- Narrated by: Teddy Hamilton, Charlotte North
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Hit me. Kick me. Hurt me. Hate me. There’s nothing that the students of Raleigh High can do to Silver Parisi anymore. Over the past year, she’s had to endure more pain and suffering than most people are asked to bear in their lifetimes. She’s a pariah, an outcast, a ghost. She’s also never been one to take shit lying down, though...despite what half the football team might say. With only 168 days left of the school year, it won’t be long until graduation, and Silver’s planning on skipping town and leaving Raleigh firmly in her rearview mirror. Until he comes along....
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Not a YA only! Do NOT blow this off!
- By Amazon Customer on 02-29-20
By: Callie Hart
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Locomotion
- By: Jacqueline Woodson
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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When Lonnie Collins Motion was seven years old, his life changed forever. Now Lonnie is eleven and his life is about to change again. His teacher, Ms. Marcus, is showing him ways to put his jumbled feelings on paper. And suddenly, Lonnie has a whole new way to tell the world about his life, his friends, his little sister, Lili, and even his foster mom, Miss Edna, who started out crabby but isn’t so bad after all. Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical voice captures Lonnie’s thoughtful perspectives of the world and his determination to one day put a family together again.
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The whole story
- By A Shaffer on 05-26-20
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American Street
- By: Ibi Zoboi
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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On the corner of American Street and Joy Road, Fabiola Toussaint thought she would finally find une belle vie - a good life. But after they leave Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Fabiola's mother is detained by US immigration, leaving Fabiola to navigate her loud American cousins - Chantal, Donna, and Princess - the grittiness of Detroit's West Side, a new school, and a surprising romance all on her own.
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A lot to unpack
- By AudioBookHoe on 07-18-17
By: Ibi Zoboi
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Feathers
- By: Jacqueline Woodson
- Narrated by: Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Frannie doesn't know what to make of the poem she's reading in school. She hasn't thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more "holy". And there is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy.
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National Treasure
- By Austin Jayhawk on 03-19-17
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We Were Here
- By: Matt de la Pena
- Narrated by: Henry Leyva
- Length: 10 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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When it happened Miguel was sent to Juvi. The judge only gave him a year in a group home - said he had to write in a journal so some counselor could try to figure out how he thinks. The judge had no idea that he'd actually done Miguel a favor. Ever since it happened Miguel’s mom can't even look him in the eye. Any home besides his would be a better place to live. But Miguel didn’t bet on meeting Rondell or Mong or on any of what happened after they broke out. He only thought about Mexico and getting across the border to where he could start over....
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Loved it!!!
- By Emmanuel Mangata on 03-17-18
By: Matt de la Pena
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This Is Gonna Hurt
- Music, Photography, and Life Through the Distorted Lens of Nikki Sixx
- By: Nikki Sixx
- Narrated by: Nikki Sixx
- Length: 3 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx, is all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling photography and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work.
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MUST HAVE!!
- By Yvonne on 05-28-11
By: Nikki Sixx
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Turtles All the Way Down
- By: John Green
- Narrated by: Kate Rudd
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
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I hate to call it a trigger warning, but-
- By Lynnzee on 10-23-17
By: John Green
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The Residue Years
- By: Mitchell S. Jackson
- Narrated by: Corey Allen
- Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Mitchell S. Jackson grew up black in a neglected neighborhood in America’s whitest city, Portland, Oregon. In the ’90s, those streets and beyond had fallen under the shadow of crack cocaine and its familiar mayhem. In his commanding autobiographical novel, Mitchell writes what it was to come of age in that time and place, with a break-out voice that’s nothing less than extraordinary. The Residue Years switches between the perspectives of a young man, Champ, and his mother, Grace.
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Dense in cultural details
- By Angel on 12-04-15
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Aimed at listeners 12 and up and co-authored by award-winning children's book author Nic Stone, How to be a (Young) Antiracist empowers teen listeners to help create a more just society. Antiracism is a journey—and now young adults will have a map to carve their own path. Kendi and Stone have revised this work to provide anecdotes and data that speaks directly to the experiences and concerns of younger listeners, encouraging them to think critically and build a more equitable world in doing so.
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I enjoyed it, but I’m pissed about the ending
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Struggled with author’s writing style
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When Pentagon bioterror operative Roberto Diaz was sent to investigate a suspected biochemical attack, he found something far worse: a highly mutative organism capable of extinction-level destruction. He contained it and buried it in cold storage deep beneath a little-used military repository. Now, after decades of festering in a forgotten sub-basement, the specimen has found its way out and is on a lethal feeding frenzy. Only Diaz knows how to stop it.
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Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African-American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s "lost" Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales.
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Narration
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Nima wishes she were someone else. She doesn’t feel understood by her mother, who grew up in a different land. She doesn’t feel accepted in her suburban town; yet somehow, she isn't different enough to belong elsewhere. Her best friend, Haitham, is the only person with whom she can truly be herself. Until she can't, and suddenly her only refuge is gone.
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Anger Is a Gift
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Six years ago, Moss Jefferies' father was murdered by an Oakland police officer. Along with losing a parent, the media's vilification of his father and lack of accountability has left Moss with near crippling panic attacks. Now, in his sophomore year of high school, Moss and his fellow classmates find themselves increasingly treated like criminals in their own school. New rules. Random locker searches. Constant intimidation and the Oakland Police Department stationed in their halls. Despite their youth, the students decide to push back against the administration.
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Important Message, Terrible Delivery
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Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable - more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried. When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone?
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Suspenseful with twists!
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Grown
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When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted’s dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey’s charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he’s dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.
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or so she thought
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What listeners say about Punching the Air
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- LuisDMeneses
- 03-23-23
Freedom can't be boxed
This novel takes the form of poetry to convey its message. That is why it hits, and hits hard.
Through the difficulties lived by the protagonist, the poetic voice finds a way for art, faith, hope and freedom.
What should we do when facing inequalities? what should we do when faced with a broken system?
For a reader coming from developping countries, these are not uncommon questions, but the answers are yet to be shared.
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- Connor Gill
- 07-23-22
Incredible. Get it.
Read it. The poetic nature of the words and the ability of the narrator will make you sob.
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- Kristen
- 10-18-23
Really engaging and fast moving.
This is one of those novels/conscious stream of thought where the protagonist is wrongfully accused and instead of allowing the injustice of the American judicial and criminal infrastructure weigh him down, he rises. I loved how the authors Ibi and Yusef (one of the exonerated five) use the concept and themes from art and literature to show hope and the possibility of self-redemption.
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- La Shanda Woods
- 01-14-21
Good book young teens!!
Narrator was great, but started off kind of slow to me. I had to start it over while on a long ride then I got into it. I also don't like how it ended, it did not complete the story what happened to him, did the boy ever tell what really happened.
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7 people found this helpful
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- NessQuick
- 11-05-21
a Story for the Soul
the poetry hits at your very core. the narrator is calming and impactful. no matter your race or circumstance, be angry at the injustices you see around you.
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- That Guy
- 01-17-21
To Be Heard and Seen
A riveting performance, both on the page and through my speakers.
I highly recommend *listening* to (or, reading aloud) Zoboi’s and Salaam’s gorgeous, lyrical beauty.
The story is, unfortunately, far too rote for anyone paying attention to the (in)justice (mis)educational systems in America, so as with almost all of my favorite pieces of art—written and recorded—it’s far less about the plot than it is about the way their words inhabit the page, on both a visually aesthetic level, but also on a mellifluous, rhythmic one.
The imagery, the images, the imagination of it all.
Heartbreaking. Heart-rending. Hard to not wince and wonder and well up with weariness (at yet another tale as old as American time) and cries for war (against these systems of oppression).
Read it. Listen to it. Learn it. Know it. Understand it.
Then, *do* something about it.
This, my friends, is #artasactivism
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20 people found this helpful
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- Gwendolyn Irby
- 10-01-22
The Turth
The system is not here to help anyone but to Tear down our black children.
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- Linda
- 12-04-20
Amazing story.
Amazing story, yet unfortunately, it was too short. I wanted the poetic prose to continue framing the conflict between ther protagonist vs society (the bias school to prison system and the industrial prison complex). But I do appreciate the cliffhanger at the end.
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6 people found this helpful
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- Kathleen Ann Foote
- 04-02-22
Spectacular
I’m so very glad i listened to this. I’m so sick of white privileged people that cannot understand how very unbalanced our society is, especially the prison system. My heart aches for all the Mama’s of these young people being snatched away by a system that is so very racist. Slavery was abolished, can our prison system and our police system please catch up. If black people are angry, it’s righteous anger and we, not them, need to figure out how to set it right.
Loved this young man’s passion and perspective. Great read!!!
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- Bridgett
- 11-04-21
Captivating
This book is nothing short of explosive. while listening to this masterfully read story, I became enraged, sad, hopeful, inspired, but awakened by how walls (obstacles, ignorance, rage, lack of resources, etc.)can & do cut off so much.
As I eyed my two blk boys, I became fearful not just of the what if's, but what is.
I love this book!
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