I often ask myself if these words are used by people to help themselves feel better, if bad times do eventually turn around 180 degrees, or if not everyone gets justice and hard times turn into a hard life, filled with disadvantages left and right that lead many onto a path of destruction. Society loves to tell those going through the trenches to have faith that things will get better, to have hope, and that bad times don’t last forever. “Hope that justice will be done to those brave men who stood up for their convictions.” -Albert Einstein Saundra and Mary reflect on the experience of applying criminology theories to young adult literature in a criminal justice course to close out the final post for June.

Taylor reacts to the scene where Amal realizes that the color of his skin affected how he was perceived in the courtroom. Genisis questions the idea of hope and reflects on the authors’ writing that humanizes incarcerated persons. In their reactions, both women convey strong emotional connections to Amal and the circumstances he endures throughout the novel. Both women are students majoring in Criminal Justice at NMSU and read the novel as part of their study of criminology theories in Saundra’s Race, Crime and Justice course. The fourth and final installment of WOW Currents for June features Genisis and Taylor’s reactions Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam.

Fahrenbruck, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico By Genisis Luevanos, Taylor Hogan, Saundra D.

Punching the air ibi zoboi