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Table of Contents
About The Book
Mason Zy’Aire Tyndall has big dreams. Dreams of sick beats, epic mic-drops, sold out stadiums. Mason’s going to be a rap star—and you don’t become a rap star by hitting up BLM protests with your mom or sitting at a desk. Mason wants to get out there and make a name for himself, but he’ll have to graduate high school first. And he can’t do that if he fails his senior year.
Convinced his poetry class is a waste of time, Mason’s teacher helps him see just how valuable a couplet and a rhyme can be. But when an unarmed Black man is killed by the police in his city, tensions start to rise—among the cops, the community, and even Mason’s peers.
Caught in the middle of increasingly violent conflicts, Mason will have to find a way to use his voice for change…and fast.
Product Details
- Publisher: Central Avenue (May 28, 2024)
- Length: 224 pages
- ISBN13: 9781771683616
- Grades: 7 - 12
- Ages: 12 - 18
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Raves and Reviews
"The novel is beautifully written in verse, including raps with strong rhythms and tight, cohesive rhymes. An additional demonstration of Carter's expertise is that the poems written and presented by the students are in different forms, each distinctly unique to the student. This is a brilliantly accessible and widely appealing novel." — Booklist (starred review)
"Carter’s debut teems with vulnerability and shows a deep reverence for hip-hop . . . diverse supporting characters provide healthy tension." — Kirkus Reviews
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High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): If You Knew My Name eBook 9781771683616
- Author Photo (jpg): Lisa Roberts Carter (0.1 MB)
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