Two American boys, two very different circumstances. Rashad, a black 16-year-old student, is mistakenly accused of shoplifting in a convenience store. The arrest leads to Rashad being beaten by police officer Paul Galluzo. And although the assault is witnessed by Quinn, who sees Paul as a father-figure, the football player struggles with accepting the brutality of what happened. Tensions rise, people start taking sides, and Rashad and Quinn are confronted with difficult decisions and consequences.

The young adult novel addresses themes of police brutality and racial profiling, both extremely important and current topics. Featuring two main characters, the story regularly switches perspectives. Rashad’s perspective is written by Jason Reynold’s, Quinn’s by Brendan Kiely. The book is best suited for older students, due to violence and profane language.

Novel · United States · 2015