Friday, May 10, 2019

I AM ALFONSO JONES by Tony Medina

Author Tony Medina and illustrators Stacey Robinson and John Jennings are the creators of this powerful graphic novel focusing on gun violence and the Black Lives Matter movement. Readers will experience the emotions of Alfonso as well as those left behind after his death.

Alfonso convinced his best friend Danetta to help him shop for his first suit. He is planning to wear it when his father is released from prison. Alfonso barely knows his dad who was found guilty of a crime he didn't commit. DNA evidence has proven that he didn't do the crime and after years in prison he is about to be released.

All the celebration comes to a sudden halt when Alfonso is shot by a store police officer/security guard. While trying on suit jackets, Alfonso handled a clothes hanger. It was mistaken for a gun, and he was shot multiple times. He didn't survive.

After his death, Alfonso's ghost joins others who died violently at the hands of the police. He rides the ghost train as he tries to make sense of his death and the impact it had on those he loved. He will never play the role of Hamlet in his school play. He will never learn if Danetta is destined to more than just his best friend. And, Alfonso will never welcome his father home from prison.

I AM ALFONSO JONES honors victims of police shootings and the senseless deaths that have become all too common in society today. This is a must-read book that should be in every classroom and library in the country.

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