I’m very honored and humbled to have played a part in the creation of this book. I’m an admirer of both authors, Ibi Zoboi and Dr. Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five, for their work and life story, respectively.

I’d like to thank them both, as well as Alison Donalty at HarperCollins Publishers, for giving me the opportunity to illustrate such an important book, especially now, regarding the imbalances in the American criminal justice system, particularly for young Black men.

It was interesting to create book illustrations as if they were sketchbook drawings by the main character, Amal. An artistically talented Black American teenager, Amal has been sentenced to prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Most of my professional illustration work is more finished, so taking a step back to the feelings I had myself as a young Black artist in high school helped me to find the style for Amal’s sketches. It was important to show his raw talent, active imagination, and budding artistic potential. Unfortunately, the trials and tribulations of racial injustice are the story of so many in our communities. I myself, having been a young and artistic teen once upon a time, could have easily shared a similar story, had I simply ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Illustration: Omar T. Pasha.

Punching the Air, to me, also sheds light on the importance of creative education in the African American community. It’s vital to give young people access to creative tools to keep their imaginations stimulated by what is possible, and their goals on a path away from trouble.

[Read Horn Book reviews of the 2021 BGHB Fiction and Poetry winners.]

I’m proud to be an honoree recipient of this award. Being added to an exceptional list of books awarded since 1967, written and illustrated by highly respected creatives, is one of the higher honors in my lifetime. Adding “book award winner” to my resume is something I never fathomed. So, thank you to the Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards committee. I really appreciate this honor.

From the January/February 2022 issue of The Horn Book Magazine. Read co-author Ibi Zoboi's BGHB speech here and co-author Yusef Salaam's here. For more on the 2021 Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, click on the tag BGHB21. Read more from The Horn Book by and about Omar T. Pasha.