Dear Martin Summary
Stone, Nic

Dear Martin Overview

Nic Stone’s Dear Martin examines the complex issues of race and privilege in twenty-first century America. The perspective is through the eyes of Justyce McAllister, a black teen who re-examines his relationship to privilege and success when he is racially profiled by the police. Justyce writes letters to Martin Luther King Jr. as he sorts through the typical problems of teen life—love triangles, high school graduation, and college acceptances—while struggling against injustice and disillusionment. The novel explores themes including color, racial profiling and the police, black masculinity, political awareness and responsibility, interracial relationships, privilege, and language.