In this article, the authors demonstrate how the reading of a novel along with culturally sustaining and responsive instruction can enhance students' sense of agency and advocacy along with their literacy development. The characters in the young adult (YA) novel "All American Boys" grapple with police brutality, as the novel's authors center the #BlackLivesMatter movement and the ways in which different racialized groups process and confront racial injustices. This article presents the instructional planning and decision-making processes, along with the rationales for these approaches, to reveal the ways in which students responded to the topics, text, and each other.