Punching the Air Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Punching the Air Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2021Teen & Young Adult, Literature & Fiction

85%

WISE Score

4.7

Amazon

A wrongfully incarcerated teen finds his voice through poetry and art in this gut-punch of a verse novel co-written by one of the Exonerated Five.

Punching the Air Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

book

2021, Teen & Young Adult, Literature & Fiction

85%

WISE Score

4.7

Amazon

A wrongfully incarcerated teen finds his voice through poetry and art in this gut-punch of a verse novel co-written by one of the Exonerated Five.

4.7

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Screenwise Verdict

This is one of those books that matters. Co-written by Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five, it's not just a story about wrongful incarceration—it's a testimony, a protest, and a love letter to the power of art and voice.

The verse format makes it more accessible than a dense prose novel, but don't mistake accessibility for lightness. This is emotionally demanding. Amal's story will make you angry, heartbroken, and hopefully more aware of how the system fails Black and brown kids. But it's also about resilience, creativity, and refusing to let injustice define you.

It's the kind of book that should be taught in schools, discussed at dinner tables, and pressed into the hands of teens who are ready to think critically about the world. Not a fun beach read, but an important one.

Age Fit

This is best for ages 13-18, though mature 12-year-olds could handle it. The themes of wrongful incarceration, systemic racism, and prison trauma require emotional maturity. It's not graphic, but it's heavy—think of it as essential reading for teens ready to grapple with real-world injustice.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The novel models resilience, self-expression through art, and maintaining humanity in dehumanizing circumstances. Amal's journey through wrongful incarceration is emotionally heavy but centers on hope, creativity, and fighting for truth. The tone is age-appropriate for mature teens, though the emotional weight of systemic injustice and incarceration is significant. It's not light reading, but it's purposeful and grounded in authentic experience.

Imaginative

Written in verse with 'spellbinding lyricism,' this book is itself a work of art about an artist. Amal uses poetry and visual art as refuge and resistance, modeling creative expression as survival and protest. The verse format invites readers to experience language differently, and the story celebrates how art can transform despair into agency. It's deeply imaginative in both form and content.

Safe

This is a YA novel about wrongful incarceration, police brutality, systemic racism, and prison conditions. While there's no graphic violence, sexual content, or gore, the subject matter is inherently heavy—a 16-year-old experiencing trauma, despair, and rage in prison. Common Sense Media confirms it's appropriate for teens but notes the mature themes. It's safe in that it's purposeful and well-crafted, not gratuitous, but it's definitely not light content that a young child should stumble into.

Enriching

Co-authored by Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five, this book offers profound insight into mass incarceration, racial injustice, and the resilience of the human spirit. It builds empathy for those caught in a biased system, encourages critical thinking about justice, and demonstrates the power of art and voice. Multiple sources cite it as one of the best YA books of 2020, with accolades from Time, Publishers Weekly, and more. It's deeply meaningful and conversation-starting.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Co-authored by Yusef Salaam, who lived the nightmare of wrongful conviction—this is authentic, urgent, and necessary
The verse format makes heavy content more accessible and turns the book itself into a work of art
Teaches about systemic racism and mass incarceration in a way that centers humanity and hope, not just despair
Models how creativity and self-expression can be tools for survival and resistance
One of the most acclaimed YA books of 2020—this is the real deal, not performative

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What to Watch For

This is emotionally heavy—wrongful incarceration, police bias, prison conditions, and a teen's despair and rage
Best for readers 13+ who can handle mature themes about systemic injustice
Not a light read; this will spark big conversations and maybe some tears
Some kids may need support processing the anger and injustice depicted

Conversation Starters

"Amal turns to art and poetry when everything else is taken from him. What do you turn to when things feel overwhelming?"
"The book shows how 'boys being boys' is treated differently based on race. Have you noticed examples of this kind of bias?"
"Yusef Salaam, one of the authors, was wrongfully convicted as a teen. What do you think it takes to maintain hope in a situation like that?"
"How does reading this in verse form change the way you experience Amal's story compared to regular prose?"
"What does it mean to 'maintain your humanity' when a system is trying to strip it away?"

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