Dear Martin

Dear Martin is a contemporary YA debut novel that became a New York Times bestseller and a William C. Morris Award finalist. The story follows a Black teenage boy navigating school, friendships, and identity in present-day America. As he struggles to make sense of injustice around him, he writes letters to Martin Luther King Jr., turning inward rather than outward. This book unfolds slowly and thoughtfully. Its strength lies in the protagonist’s tenderness and inner conversation, asking how ideals from the past live on in everyday life now.