All American Boys
Reynolds,
Jason. & Kiely Brendan. 2015. All American Boys. (N. Lockard, G.
& Nobbs, K.) [Audiobook]. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Audio. ISBN: 9781442398672
2. PLOT
SUMMARY
In this novel Rashad and Quinn give two
different perspectives on the aftermath of a brutal and unjust attack on Rashad
by a police officer. Rashad describes the incident with a lot of the emotions
that would be expected from anyone in his situation. He goes into a store to
buy some chips, a woman ends up tripping over him, and he gets accused of harassing
the woman and stealing. Everything moves quickly and Rashad is not given the
opportunity to defend himself. Quinn witnesses the attack along with several
other people and the video of it quickly goes viral sparking a movement to
stand up to the injustice of it. Both characters transform from not wanting to
make waves into people that stand up for what they believe in.
3. CRITICAL
ANALYSIS
The
characters offer two different world views in a very raw and honest way. They describe
their emotions and go into the reality of their situations and the
relationships that they have. The
characters show growth. They share the reality of how they feel and the events
that change their ways of thinking. The characters are complex they have
different opinions and they make the story easy to relate to. Quinn struggles
with feelings of guilt and a desire to leave things alone and not get involved.
Rashad struggles with feelings of also not wanting to bring attention to
himself. This becomes a point of transformation for both boys.
The
events definitely mirror things that have been seen in our own times. There seems
to be a logical flow and the town where a lot of people seem to know each other
adds to the gravity of the events. There is some humor, but it’s also serious when
it needs to be. The dialogue flows naturally between characters and the way events
are described makes it easy to get lost in them.
4. REVIEW
EXCERPTS
Starred
review in Booklist: “With Reynolds writing Rashad’s first-person
narrative and Kiely writing Quinn’s, this hard-edged, ripped-from-the-headlines
book is more than a problem novel; it’s a carefully plotted, psychologically
acute, character-driven work of fiction that dramatizes an all-too-frequent
occurrence.”
Starred
review in Horn Book Magazine: “Written with sharp humor and devastating
honesty, this nuanced, thoughtful novel recalls the work of Walter Dean Myers
and is worthy of his legacy. Reynolds and Kiely explore issues of racism,
power, and justice with a diverse (ethnically and philosophically) cast of
characters and two remarkable protagonists forced to grapple with the layered
complexities of growing up in a racially tense America.”
Reviewed
in Kirkus Reviews: “If the hands and agenda of the authors are evident,
their passion elevates the novel beyond a needed call to action to a deeply
moving experience.”
Starred
review in Publisher’s Weekly: “The scenario that Reynolds and Kiely
depict has become a recurrent feature of news reports, and a book that lets
readers think it through outside of the roiling emotions of a real-life event
is both welcome and necessary.”
Starred
review in School Library Journal: “Timely and powerful, this novel
promises to have an impact long after the pages stop turning. VERDICT Great for
fostering discussions about current events among teenage audiences. A must-have
for all collections.”
Coretta
Scott King Author Honor
Margaret
A. Edwards Award
Walter
Dean Myers Award
5. CONNECTIONS
*Invite students to write
a letter to Rashad or Quinn asking any questions they still have about the
story or sharing their favorite parts.
*This book can be used to
initiate discussions about protests and racism.
*Other books written by
Jason Reynolds:
Reynolds, Jason. Stuntboy,
in the meantime. ISBN: 9781534418165
Reynolds, Jason. Long
way down. ISBN: 9781481438261
Reynolds, Jason. Ghost.
ISBN: 9781481450164
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