The writing of my dissertation was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’m so thankful that I’m done. It was a long time coming. This presentation and my dissertation are dedicated to my friend Javier Milo, who convinced me to start my program way back in 2010. It’s also dedicated to all those who rest in power.

A little context: I examined the language used in three young adult novels, The Hate U Give, Dear Martin, and All American Boys to construct narratives and counternarratives about race, power, and identity. I don’t talk in detail about the novels, and there are no spoiler alerts. Most of what I present is my analysis of those novels.

I’m posting this here because I have some friends who wanted to see it. It was originally broadcast on Facebook Live so my family back in Indianapolis could see it, even though they couldn’t physically be there. I’m thankful for the technology that allowed this to happen.

Video quality was not my first priority, so you get what you get. Also, I was nervous as hell.

So yeah. For anyone interested, here it is.