When the bullets hit him, first his arm, then his stomach, it doesn’t feel like he’d always imagined it would. Because of course, as a Black boy growing in this neighborhood, he’d imagined it. He’d thought it would feel hot and sharp, like the slice of a knife; instead, his entire body goes cold, like someone has filled his insides with ice.
-- Narrator (Prologue)

Importance: One of the most tragic aspects of Justin’s death is the fact that such events are commonplace for black people. Systemic racism in the police force means that black people are often victims of police brutality. Although Justin knows this, it does not lessen the monstrosity of such an event.

It was rare enough to see someone on TV who looked like me, and when they did, they definitely didn’t have a name like Leroya. And so I became Riley.
-- RIley (chapter 1)

Importance: As a...