We are delighted to welcome Yusef Salaam and Ibi Zoboi, authors of the verse novel Punching the Air, a searingly honest and hard-hitting novel that leastes a lasting impression upon the minds of readers.

Please could you tell us a little about your backgrounds and how you came to work together on Punching the Air?

I met Yusef in college when he walked into one of my classes and our professor embraced him and said something like, “I knew you didn’t do it.” Moments later, I discovered who Yusef was and chased after him for an interview for my college’s newspaper. I never got that interview, but three years ago, I ran into him while promoting my young adult novel, American Street. Yusef was selling his self-published book of poetry and we both agreed that he needed to tell his story to young people. -IZ

The thing about when Ibi and I met was that I wasn’t ready to share my story. I was trying to hide in plain sight because the world had already labeled us as monsters. The truth had not gotten out yet and here was this person who wanted to help me get the truth out. I’m a member of what was known as the Central Park Five who were falsely convicted of a heinous at the age of 16. We were exonerated in 2002. When Ibi and I reconnected a few years ago, I was ready to tell another version of my story. -YS

How did the collaboration itself work?

Yusef and I had several long conversations and we came up with the name of a boy: Amal, which means hope. Amal’s worldview and personality is inspired by Yusef and I crafted the poems around how Yusef was able to reflect on his experiences as an incarcerated teen. Yusef’s own poems served as a foundation for the book and four of them are infused into the novel, which helped shape the tone and cadence for Amal’s voice. Amal is a very self-aware teen who can clearly articulate the injustices he’s experiencing and his greatest desire is to channel that awareness into art. This is how I saw 16 year-old Yusef and I had the task of allowing him to live on the page through Amal. -IZ

Can you introduce us to Amal Shahid and the situation he is facing?

Amal’s rage gets the best of him one night. It was more than just a matter of being in the wrong place at the right time. It was a matter of being in the center of a boiling point. Tensions were brewing in this neighborhood and someone would eventually get hurt. But unfortunately, a white boy is in a coma and a Black boy pays the hefty price even though he was not responsible for the fatal blow. Justice wasn’t served. Amal has to find a way to keep his mind and spirit free even while trapped behind walls. -YS

Amal's story was informed by parts of your own experience Yusef, were any parts of your past challenging to revisit?

I would say no. It was actually liberating because this is not my story. I was able to channel certain ideas through this character and Ibi was able to help me shape what it is that I was saying in order for it to resonate with the most readers. -YS

Self-expression and art are important themes in Punching the Air, how important is it to give a voice and a platform for young people?

While Punching the Air addresses juvenile justice and wrongful imprisonment, this story is ultimately about the healing and redemptive power of art. There is very little we can do right now for the young people who are serving time. By the time we begin to see drastic changes, they would’ve already been processed through the system and in danger of recidivism. This book addresses the present. It asks young people, what can you do now to to keep your soul in tact and speak your truth. Creative expression and channeling rage is vitally important and this is the most important message in Punching the Air. -IZ

The novel is told in verse, what were the freedoms and constraints of this and how did you arrive at this decision?

There was only freedom in writing this novel in verse. Because there are gaps in Yusef’s memory of his own experiences, the white space on the page represented those gaps. We wanted to focus the story on Amal’s emotional journey and didn’t want to bombard readers with irrelevant information. We didn’t want readers to ask, “Well, did he do it?” Through a series of poems, we can a deeper understanding of Amal’s perspective—his highs and his lows, his self-doubt, his fleeting moments of joy. All of that can be expressed through poetry. -IZ

Poetry is a profound way to get to the heart of something. I wanted to be a rapper when I was a kid. I listened to message-driven hip-hop and that in itself was poetry. In my mind, there was no other way to tell this story. -YS

Amal is disinterested in schooling because it does not reflect his experiences and culture, does the education system need adapting to encompass different perspectives? What do you feel are the pitfalls of not doing this?

It’s not just about perspectives, it’s about experiences, which of course shapes perspectives. The experiences of a Black child in an urban environment needs to be validated in the classroom. Instead of focusing on lack or punishing children for behaviors that are a direct response to their environment, why not give them outlets to express bottled-up emotions? How do we expect children to retain information when they haven’t processed the injustices in their communities? -IZ

We have to start valuing the creativity that is all around us, the creativity that children produce. A child not being able to sit still in a classroom can be a gift. That child is asking the teacher to change direction. Switch it up, play a game, take the classroom outside. Otherwise, the child is being asked to conform to set of rigid rules that can be detrimental to him. That child will not live up to his or her potential in that classroom. Creativity is stifled. Living a purpose-driven life is stifled. This is a cycle that begin in the classroom. -YS

Many of the comments around enslavement and its ongoing impact for communities and individuals are hard-hitting  'I'm the only one with an anchor tied to my ankles' (p47), is there adequate recognition of the ongoing impact of slavery on the lives and life-chances of people today?  What can people do to better address this?

Absolutely. We can never forget. Not forgetting and constantly making connections to America’s violent past will unveil centuries of injustice. This is when I look to my mentors— Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou who said we mustn’t be bitter about these injustices. We have to speak it, vote it, dance it, paint it. This is how we continuously address the effects of slavery in this country. -YS

I truly believe that trauma can be passed down through genetic memory. In fact, the idea of DNA is referenced a few times in Punching the Air. Again, I’ll go back to the idea that art can be heal. Truth-telling through art can break generational curses. -IZ

'Your mind is free, Your thoughts are free, Your creativity is free - '

The importance of books and reading is explored int he book, the following writers are mentioned:  'The Mis-Education of the Negro' Carter G Woodson... (p371) James Baldwin, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler, Ibram X Kendi, Michelle Alexander, Ta-Nehisi Coates... 

The Youth Library Group is made up of  librarians working with children and young people across the whole of the UK, are there other writers that you consider to be must haves for library collections?  What role does reading play in terms of helping our understanding?  

Any and every book by Black writers published now should be included in your collections. Pair a book about social justice with a book about Black children being carefree and safe. The books should reflect a range of experiences for Black children—ones that are rooted in addressing social change and ones that are simply fun and joyous. This would highlight the humanity of Black children. -IZ

While I was in prison, books were what allowed me to create pictures in my mind. I traveled to any and everywhere through the pages in a book. It’s what freed me. And even when I met Ibi, we were given books to read that helped shaped our understanding of the world. I have so many books, my most prized possessions! -YS

What gives you hope and what advice would you give to people feeling imprisoned by stereotypes and prejudice in the way that Amal is?

Being able to share my story gives me hope. There was I time when I felt the world was against me. The current president of the United States put out an ad in the New York Times calling for our execution. I was only 16 when I thought the world wanted me dead. And now, I get to share my story with the world and people like Ibi and Ava Duvernay are helping me do just that.

It is hard to imagine anyone reading Punching the Air  and not being affected by the injustices it describes.  How can people get involved with helping to combat this?

Share Punching the Air with everyone you know. Read other books like this one. Start a dialogue. Get involved with local activism. Speak out when you see injustice. See others as fully human first while acknowledging systemic racism at every level. See Black children as children. -IZ

Thank you to Yusef Salaam and Ibi Zoboi for the interview, to HarperCollins for the opportunity.
Photo Credits: Yusef Salaam by Staci Nurse, Staci Marie Studio; Ibi Zoboi by Joseph Zoboi.