In 2017, Atlanta-based author Nic Stone released “Dear Martin,” her debut novel about a Black honor student named Justyce, who lives in Atlanta and writes letters to Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. after encounters with racist police officers.
Two years later, the book was banned from Columbia County schools, apparently for its graphic subject matter.
Other schools also banned “Dear Martin” from their curriculum, but Stone continued to write coming-of-age novels featuring diverse teenage characters who have their own critical questions and perspectives about race, sex, class and the world.
Stone told UATL writing stories is how she explores her own curiosity and incorporates social justice in education. “It was labeled divisive content, so it occurred to me one day to tell this story and explore the same topics from the perspective of a person who looks like the people who frequently ban this book and making sure there’s content in these discussions that resemble the human race,” Stone said.
“Dear Manny,” published Tuesday, follows Jared, a white supporting character from “Dear Martin,” who’s become a somewhat socially aware student running for junior class president at an Ivy League college. Jared’s political opponent is Dylan, a Black female transfer student who challenges his political views and personality traits but develops a connection with him.
He writes letters to Manny, his Black friend murdered by a police officer in “Dear Martin,” to make sense of his personal values, social and political climate. It closes the trilogy, which includes 2020′s “Dear Justyce,” which chronicles two Black boys corresponding by letters while one awaits sentencing for shooting at a police officer.
Credit: Penguin Random House
Credit: Penguin Random House
Stone is hosting “Dear Manny’s” book release at Ron Clark Academy on Saturday. Casey Weeks, her high school English teacher at Norcross High, is leading the conversation.
In the summer of 2023, Stone began writing “Dear Manny’s” manuscript at Starbucks Coffee in Peachtree Battle and included students of various backgrounds actively debating hot topics like diversity, equity, inclusion and affirmative action in a constitutional law course. She said she writes young adult books because it’s a period of self-discovery for teenagers.
“It’s a point in life where they’re undergoing physical changes, shifting priorities and figuring out who they are,” she said.
“Books are spaces where I can present a bunch of different perspectives, never give them just one answer to solve problems but get them to get in the habit of being curious and asking questions about why things are the way they are.”
Credit: Nic Stone
Credit: Nic Stone
Growing up in Norcross, Stone was in gifted classes at Norcross High School with predominantly white students.
She said being one of few woman-of-color in her class helped her navigate in other communities.
“Black women are conditioned to take care of everybody, so it’s taught me how to maneuver through a system that wasn’t built for me, has given me the ability to empathize and understand other peoples’ stories in a way that they can’t. I can tell their story, too,” Stone said.
Weeks, who currently teaches at North Gwinnett High School, recognized Stone’s talent for creating stories with empathetic characters in writings from Stone’s sophomore and junior years at Norcross High School.
“She can get inside of the mind of a person who’s wrestling with issues and capture their voice in authentic ways. She has the courage to reveal something about someone that isn’t perfect but uses that flaw to try and figure out how to make situations better,” he said.
Stone enrolled at Georgia Tech but later transferred to Spelman College for legacy reasons and because her classes lacked diversity.
“My mom and aunt were Spelmanites, and I wanted the opposite of what I got at Georgia Tech. Spelman prepared me for the real world, because I got to settle into my skin and be surrounded by people who looked like me that were excellent. It was empowering,” she said.
Stone is currently pitching to have the book trilogy adapted for television. She hopes her stories can help young readers find joy and will encourage them to regularly engage in critical thinking.
“We’re in a time where things are so contentious, everybody is at each other’s throats, but we have to find the bright spots. There has to be something in our core that sees and cares for one another,” she said.
3 p.m. Saturday, March 8. 228 Margaret Street SE, Atlanta. 678-651-2100. eventbrite.com
Become a member of UATL for more stories like this in our free newsletter and other membership benefits.
Follow UATL on Facebook, on X, TikTok and Instagram.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
