Dear Justyce

These chapters depict more key moments in Quan’s life: his first arrest, and meeting Trey and Martel. Quan’s first arrest permanently alters his relationship with his family: His little brother and sister no longer look up to him, and his mother’s outright shame begins to solidify Quan’s path in life. The events of Chapters 4 and 5 show his developing apathy and desensitization.

Quan’s fourth arrest is his most transformative, mostly because of what he witnesses during his incarceration. While Quan receives 12 months of juvenile detention for stealing a cell phone, he watches as “White Boy Shawn” only serves 60 days for stabbing his sleeping father eight times. Quan can’t help but notice that boys who look more like him receive heavier sentences, even if their crimes are nonviolent, and this realization changes his worldview yet again. While Quan always felt like he was set up for failure in life, he now suspects that there’s more to being “doomed” than just his family situation. Meeting Martel is a turning point for Quan because, in addition to servin as a father figure/mentor in his life, Martel confirms Quan’s suspicions: The system is inherently racist and stacked against young Black men in America. Martel also acknowledges Quan’s anger and pushes him to act on that anger. Ever since his father’s arrest, Quan has been struggling to gain some sense of control in his life, and Martel’s proposal to join the Black Jihad seems to fulfill everything Quan has been missing. Quan wants a family that believes in him, supports him, and has his back. Even in the present day, Quan refuses to speak ill of the Black Jihad or Martel. Knowing Quan’s family history, readers may have a better understanding of what would prompt a boy like Quan to make such a seemingly radical and unwise decision. Quan is not seeking trouble—he is just looking for stability in his life and a sense of belonging.

Even so, Quan starts to think about his life history in a “this or that” frame of mind. He wonders how his life might have been different, for example, if he had met Liberty Ayers instead of Trey. Liberty and Trey were both involved in criminal activities, but Quan implies that if he had met someone who turned her life around at a young age, maybe he would have made different choices. Similarly, Stone sets up Doc and Martel as foils: Both are highly educated Black men who could have mentored Quan. Both speak out about racism and injustice in America, but Martel’s approach involves seizing control of his life using gang activity, whereas Doc seeks to empower Quan through education and awareness. Ironically, Martel’s approach still means that Quan has to answer to someone in authority: Martel. The Black Jihad might not be as freeing as Quan believes.