This Is My America" - Patriotic Home Decor & Gifts for American Pride | Perfect for 4th of July, Veterans Day & National Holidays

"Perhaps because she's never had to walk in fear. Every day my senses are on alert, expecting something to happen. Sure, I'm shaken. Scared. Never imagined something like this could happen so close to home. But deep down this feeling is familiar. It runs through my veins, the blood from every generation before me passing down this fear, coded into my DNA." - Tracy, This Is My America"The laws might change, the systems might look different. All of these books say what the problem is. Working ten times harder to get half. Seems to me, all the blood that's been spilled ain't our debt. But we paying it over and over again. And the world acts like there's something wrong with us. They hate us so damn much. ... Four hundred years, and we still ain't American to them, T." - Jamal, This Is My AmericaTracy Beaumont has written a letter to Innocence X every week for seven years, asking for the non-profit organization to help her father, an innocent Black man on death row for a crime he didn't commit. With less than a year before his execution, Tracy knows time is running out to save her dad, but with no response in seven years, it seems like her efforts may be futile.As Tracy tries to not only keep pleading her dad's innocence, but to also keep organizing and hosting her "Know Your Right" workshops, writing her column for the school newspaper, and helping support her mother, brother, Jamal, and seven-year-old sister, Corinne, the pressure and stakes are suddenly raised even higher when the police show up at the Beaumont home. In a nightmarish turn, Jamal (an honor student and track star whose future is so bright) is wanted for allegedly murdering a white female classmate, and he is nowhere to be found.Can Tracy save both Jamal and her dad?This is another book that absolutely touched my heart and soul, and left me forever changed. Like The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, and On the Come Up, This Is My America opened my eyes even further to the overt and systemic racism and injustice in our country, and pointed to my white privilege. Though this story is fictional, the injustice, racism, stereotypes, and hurdles both James and Jamal Beaumont face in this book are rooted in reality that Black people in our country face every day, and that simultaneously breaks my heart and enrages me.Although this book was not easy to read, and had me in tears several times, it is such an important and relevant read, especially in light of the inhumane and unlawful treatment Black men and women have endured the past several years. I learned so much about racism within the criminal justice system, post-prison survival and recovery, police brutality, the Black Lives Matter movement, and innocence projects. Additionally, my heart broke each and every time I read about the fear and pain Black men, women, and children experience on a daily basis, and have experienced for generations. It especially pained me to see how these things impacted Corinne, who was forced to grow up so fast and seemed so much older than her seven years.From the first word to the last sentence of Kim's Author's Note, this was a book I absolutely could not put down. I fell in love with the Beaumonts, as well as Quincy, Beverly, and the Jones family, and their pain, as well as their triumphs, touched my heart. With masterful writing, an incredible storyline, and aspects of so many genres (including own voices, young adult, mystery, thriller, and romance), this book truly had it all, and it deserves every bit of five stars, and more.Thank you so much to author @kcjohnsonwrites for this incredible book (what an amazing debut for you!!!)! It has forever changed me, and if you haven't read or heard of it yet, please grab a copy ASAP! There is no doubt in my mind that this will be in my top 10 books for the year, and I can't wait to hear what other readers think. I also wholeheartedly believe this book should be on required reading lists for high schoolers. Kim, please let me know when you start working on your next book because I will be first in line to help get the word out!P.S. - Plese, please read the Author's Note at the end of this book! It is so informative and important!