Tracy Beaumont’s father, James, has been on living death row for seven years in Polunsky Prison in Texas. He was unjustly arrested and convicted for a murder he did not commit. Tracy is driven to prove her father’s innocence and has been writing diligently to Innocence X, a pro bono legal firm, to take on James’s appeal of his case.
Now her brother, Jamal, a high school track star, has been accused of murdering a white girl, and Tracy is determined to find out who the real murderer is. Jamal is hiding out, afraid to be in police custody, and the police are desperately searching for him. Time is running out for Tracy because her father has less than a year left on death row, and with every day that passes, it looks worse for Jamal.
Tracy has a feeling that the two murders might somehow be connected, but she will need to use her investigative and journalistic skills to prove it. She will need to be extra cautious; her family is living in a town where racism and prejudice have been going on for centuries and have even infiltrated the police department.
Kim Johnson’s debut novel delves into many different social themes that are prevalent in today’s society. She skillfully manages to tie together prejudice, racism, social justice, history, and activism and combine them into a suspenseful mystery that will keep readers guessing until the story’s end.
Through her characters, the author is able to show how fear, hatred, and intimidation have fueled racism among the citizens and law enforcement officers in her town. She also weaves in facts about the Texas prison system and highlights flaws within the U.S. justice system and its effect upon Black Americans.
Ms. Johnson has drawn on her experiences as an activist and has used those to her advantage in writing her first novel. Hand This Is My America to fans of Angie Thomas, readers who enjoy social justice stories, and lovers of crime novels. I highly recommend it for high school and public libraries and give it five out of five fleur de lis!
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review a copy of this book.
No comments:
Post a Comment