If You Knew My Name

A gripping young adult debut of an aspiring rap artist who saw police brutality astrending hashtags - until he nearly became one.His mother was a BLM activist. Mason Tyndall was an aspiring rap artist. She saw fatal officer-involved shootings as senseless tragedies. He viewed them as trending hashtags — that is, until he almost became one. Mason Zy’Aire Tyndall has big dreams. Dreams of sick beats, epic mic-drops, sold out stadiums. Mason’s going to be a rap star—and you don’t become a rap star by hitting up BLM protests with your mom or sitting at a desk. Mason wants to get out there and make a name for himself, but he’ll have to graduate high school first. And he can’t do that if he fails his senior year. Convinced his poetry class is a waste of time, Mason’s teacher helps him see just how valuable a couplet and a rhyme can be. But when an unarmed Black man is killed by the police in his city, tensions start to rise—among the cops, the community, and even Mason’s peers.  Caught in the middle of increasingly violent conflicts, Mason will have to find a way to use his voice for change…and fast.