Promise Boys

 

From the Publisher:

The prestigious Urban Promise Prep school might look pristine on the outside, but deadly secrets lurk within. When the principal ends up murdered on school premises and the cops come sniffing around, a trio of students―J.B., Ramón, and Trey―emerge as the prime suspects. They had the means, they had the motive . . . and they may have had the murder weapon. But with all three maintaining their innocence, they must band together to track down the real killer before they are arrested. Or is the true culprit hiding among them?

Find out who killed Principal Moore in Nick Brooks's murder mystery, Promise Boys―The Hate U Give meets One of Us Is Lying.

My Thoughts:

I got this book from NCTE a couple of years ago and I tied to read it several times. It's a mystery, the principal is killed and of course three boys who have their own stories of hardship and pain are accused. But I could not finish this book in the same way that I turned of Ava Duverney's Origin two minutes into it. I am teaching a course at the graduate level on social justice leadership and it is tiring. Doing social justice work is tiring too so I feel bad saying, hey, let's all be social justice leaders. 

This book gave me all the feels as to why even as social justice leaders we need to really check ourselves. That principal needed to die despite his accolades. The savior mentality, break them to make them attitude was just too much and I could not keep from hurting for these boys. I could not see it to the end. 

Publication Information:

Author: Nick Brooks

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (January 31, 2023)

Hardcover: 304 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1250866974

Grade level: 10-12