African American Poetry Review — Punching the Air — Zoboi and Salaam

Punching the Air 

By Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

 

Bibliography:

Zoboi, I., & Salaam, Y. (2020). Punching the air. Balzer & Bray/Harperteen.

Summary:

Punching the Air is a novelized poetry book that tells the story of a wrongly incarcerated black Muslim teenage boy, Amal, co-written by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam. Each poem works together to build the story of Amal's conviction, experiences while incarcerated, and legal journey to possibly be exonerated. 

Yusef Salaam is one of the Central Park Five who were wrongly convicted of the assault and rape of a white woman in 1989. The poetry book contains poems written specifically for the narrative of the novel with original characters and experiences, as well as poems that Salaam wrote himself while serving his sentence. 

Analysis:

Punching the Air is a deeply emotional collection of narrative poetry that uses visual form, comparisons, and occasional rhyming to evoke feelings of tragedy, disbelief, rage, regret, and disappointment at Amal's situation and the other characters in the book. These poems reflect the society that Salaam was imprisoned in and, unfortunately, the society we are still facing in the United States today. From the perspective of a white woman reading these poems, I was completely enthralled. It is very easy to pick up on the personal feelings and thoughts that went into each poem and empathize with Amal. I found myself feeling disgusted at the teacher who let Amal down as a character witness and could see the reflection of her character in so many community figures who try to portray a "white savior" complex while not having the heart of actually believing in the kids they are supposedly helping. This poetry novel can so easily speak to any children, teenagers, or adults who have experienced wrongful convictions either first-hand or through loved ones. 

Aside from the enthralling storyline, Zoboi and Salaam use the narrative to promote the therapeutic and connecting nature of poetry while connecting it to the musical language of rapping and other artistic outlets. Amal is an artist in multiple facets and using poetry and art to express himself and escape the mental confines of his imprisonment and inspire the other inmates. The use (and abuse) of the art itself is also used to reassert the discrimination that Amal faces while in prison. 

The physical layout of the poems also contribute to their meaning and impact. The excerpt poem that I have included is an excellent example of this. The first line and full stanza stand alone on the left page, with the following line and full stanza reflected on the right. The final two stanzas stand together centered on the next page with nothing on the opposing side. This formatting provides a direct comparison of Amal and his black friends and the white boys that were involved in the incident that led to Amal's arrest. 

Excerpt:

Blind Justice II

All because

we were in the wrong place

we were in the wrongs skins

we were in the wrong time

we were in the wrong bodies

we were in the wrong country

we were in the wrong

were in the wrong

in the wrong

the wrong

wrong

All because

they were in the right place

they were in the right skins

they were in the right time

they were in the right bodies

they were in the right country

they were in the right

were in the right

in the right

the right

right

We were
a mob
a gang
ghetto
a pack of wolves
animals
thugs
hoodlums
men

They were
kids
having fun
home
loved
supported
protected
full of potential
boys

Activity Idea:

The subject matter of Punching the Air and this example poem is very deep, heavy, and emotional, so it does not seem appropriate to try and create a fun-filled activity to coincide with such meaningful content. Instead, this would be a good time to ask students to dig a little deeper and encourage them to feel comfortable with writing something more painful or personal. These of course do not have to be shared, but it is an activity that is intended to get them thinking more about their own emotions/lives/situations, whether that's from a cultural standpoint, individual, or whatever various factors they deem best suited. They can also play with meaning through visual form, like the example poem does with the comparison between how the black teenage boys were viewed and talked about compared to the white teenage boys of the same age.