We rarely talk about the sacrifice black families make when they decide to fight for justice within a system designed to prevent them from receiving it.

Tyrone and Janice Johnson’s world is rocked when two police officers knock on their door with news no parent ever wants to hear. The portions of the book told in Janice’s perspective provide the reader with an intimate look into what entails after tragedy and during court trials. The dialogue between Janice and her husband regarding how to raise a black child in a white world are reminders of how we are seen as threats without cause. With grief on display and her marriage being tested, Janice endured media madness and public scrutiny for 128 days. Her journey of faith, hope, and redemption will tug at heartstrings. 

The author does a remarkable job of analyzing the faults of the SYG law, the ways in which white people justify their specific “genre” of racism to absolve themselves of guilt, and how the fragility of that guilt will often take a backseat when it comes at the cost of their privileges. Through Meredith’s POV we see how class, power, and wealth play major roles. The intersection of Janice and Meredith’s lives since they are both mothers and wives in precarious situations also aids in highlighting the disparities because of their race.

Victoria Christopher Murray wrote a fictional novel that is unfortunately too common a reality for black boys and girls in America. It is as relevant and necessary a read today as it was in 2015. Stand Your Ground reminds us to keep the faith and nourish the bonds that hold you together during times of peril.