When police officers close in on Malik Williams and his friends as they hang out on the street corner one afternoon, he follows his mom's lessons to a tee. His friends flee, but Malik raises his hands and obeys orders, only to be manhandled, thrown in the cruiser and hauled off to jail under an accusation of murder.
Though Philadelphia law mandates that teens accused of murder are sent to the adult jail for holding, a bomb threat at the facility forces the arresting officer to book Malik into the juvenile detention center. This positions Malik perfectly for human rights attorney Roger Whitford's cause: exposing the criminal justice system's racism.
Whitford's plan is to have the African-American teen male declared "endangered" by extending the Endangered Species Act. He believes they are under threat of extinction because of the biases against them, a defense that ignites a flurry of reactions and puts Malik and his mother, Janae, in the national spotlight.
A quick, engaging story, Endangered explores a serious social injustice through an empathetic character. The language is straightforward and easily accessible for even young-adult readers. Some skeptical readers may take issue with the simplification of this complex issue, and a greater challenge would have been making the argument with a less-sympathetic protagonist. However, debut novelist Jean Love Cush still manages to drive home the mortifying inequality plaguing the system. A stark reminder of the human inside the skin, regardless of color, Endangered has the potential to open up discussions that are long overdue. --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts