The prosecutors and the media then painted the youths — Yusef Salaam, Raymond Santana, Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson and Antron McCray — as depraved criminals symbolizing society on the brink of chaos. Now one of the five, Yusef Salaam, an activist and motivational speaker, has teamed with acclaimed YA author Ibi Zoboi to write “Punching the Air,” a novel in verse. Advertisement“You can never not be scarred of being falsely accused of a crime,” Salaam says. Zoboi: I wanted to collaborate with Yusef in telling the story of the Central Park Five, and my memory of the incident as a sixth-grader and native New Yorker, in a nonfiction YA book. Ibi Zoboi, with Yusef Salaam, wrote “Punching the Air.” (Joseph Zoboi)AdvertisementThe book is a sophisticated and difficult read even for adults.

Source: Los Angeles Times April 06, 2021 14:02 UTC