“Dear Martin” is a first-person perspective on what it means to be a young African American in today's age. Specifically, Stone explores topics such as microaggression as we watch Justyce's classmates make racist jokes and accuse him of being "too sensitive"; white privilege, systemic racism, and white fragility, all while racial profiling and the need for affirmative action are questioned by all. Stone wastes no time diving into the meat of “Dear Martin”; in the first chapter, Justyce is arrested for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and readers are quickly shown the injustices of the law. He has a new look at the world around him and begins to notice the way his classmates treat people of color. None of them are overtly racist, but it's clear that something systemic is at work influencing their actions. While Stone is creating a novel that encompasses the injustices of a young black man, this book also deals with timely and relatable topics that relate to several popular cases that have happened recently in America. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay I will argue that this book creates conversations that range from affirmative action to racial profiling and even what it means for people to not be able to “take a joke.” Nic Stone creates a complex character to serve his heavy dialogue, and Justyce McAllister plays a striking young black male; He is at the top of his class, which is mostly white, and was recently accepted into Yale University. All his life he tried to beat the odds, ignoring his race and avoiding gang associations like that of his cousin and neighbors, focusing on his academic career. Justyce answers a 3am call saying his ex-girlfriend Melo needs help. When he finds Melo, she is in a parking lot spouting hostility and extremely drunk. Despite her offensive insults, Justyce still finds her half-Norwegian, half-black beauty magnificent. He considers calling her parents, but she is too vulnerable and unconscious, so he lifts her into the back seat and seconds later she is slammed to the ground by a police officer who accuses him of harming her. Justyce tries to explain the misunderstanding; but the officer hits him in the face and calls him "son of". Struggling to adapt to this new worldview that racism is still alive and well, Justyce begins writing letters to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These letters describe similarities. between 2017 America and the MLK era. Lyrical and poetic, Justyce begins a series with these letters trying to understand why equality doesn't seem to be a reality and how he can continue to move forward when he lives within a system that tries to reject him. Justyce is constrained by King's definition of integration, if true integration according to King's definition is "intergroup and interpersonal living", why aren't there more people in his class like him? These letters began to help him tolerate boys like Jared, who was in Justyce's debate class. From top to bottom, Jared was racist, hiding behind false equality in his pathetic arguments and complaints about reverse discrimination, saying he only got into Yale because they needed to "fill the quota." He tries to deal with the situations he faces with the same patience and non-violence, until his world explodes at the point of a gun, shattering his.