Book Review: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
All American Boys
Authors:
Jason Reynolds
Brendan Kiely
Narrators:
Guy Lockhard
Keith Nobbs
Published: September 29, 2015
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: March 16-21, 2021
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars
Book Description:
Rashad is absent again today.
That’s the sidewalk graffiti that started it all…
Well, no, actually, a lady tripping over Rashad at the store, making him drop a bag of chips, was what started it all. Because it didn’t matter what Rashad said next—that it was an accident, that he wasn’t stealing—the cop just kept pounding him. Over and over, pummeling him into the pavement. So then Rashad, an ROTC kid with mad art skills, was absent again…and again…stuck in a hospital room. Why? Because it looked like he was stealing. And he was a black kid in baggy clothes. So he must have been stealing.
And that’s how it started.
And that’s what Quinn, a white kid, saw. He saw his best friend’s older brother beating the daylights out of a classmate. At first Quinn doesn’t tell a soul…He’s not even sure he understands it. And does it matter? The whole thing was caught on camera, anyway. But when the school—and nation—start to divide on what happens, blame spreads like wildfire fed by ugly words like “racism” and “police brutality.” Quinn realizes he’s got to understand it, because, bystander or not, he’s a part of history. He just has to figure out what side of history that will be.
Rashad and Quinn—one black, one white, both American—face the unspeakable truth that racism and prejudice didn’t die after the civil rights movement. There’s a future at stake, a future where no one else will have to be absent because of police brutality. They just have to risk everything to change the world.
Cuz that’s how it can end.
Jessica’s Review:
All American Boys is another powerful novel that deals with racism and police brutality. Though this novel was written back in 2015, it is even more relevant now. I was first ‘introduced’ to Jason Reynolds last year with his novel Long Way Down which was my top read of 2020, and I was excited to listen to another of his novels on audiobook.
We have two narrators: Rashad and Quinn. Rashad is black and involved in the school’s ROTC and Quinn is white and on the basketball team. They go to the same school but do not know each other. Rashad is inside a convenience store when an event happens and an assumption is made and then Rashad becomes a victim to excessive force from a police officer. Quinn is outside the convenience store and sees the beating, which affects him, especially since he knows the police officer involved who has become a father-like figure to him.
Then as things happen in today’s world, the video goes viral and Rashad finds himself at the center of the news and the town becomes divided. We also see how this one event affects so many in the community. A graffiti tag shows up at Rashad and Quinn’s school and gains momentum. Students at the school organize a march to protest and Quinn has to decide which side he ultimately chooses.
This is yet another YA novel that leaves the reader with many things to think about. This is another one that is highly recommended and I look forward to seeing what else Jason Reynolds has written and will write in the future.
Audiobook Review: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds
Published: October 24, 2017
Audiobook
Reviewed By: Jessica
Date Read: November 22, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 5 stars
Book Description:
An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.
~~~
Will’s older brother, Shawn, has been shot.
Dead.
Will feels a sadness so great, he can’t explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES:
No. 1: Crying
Don’t.
No matter what.
No. 2: Snitching
Don’t.
No matter what.
No. 3: Revenge
Do.
No matter what.
But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there’s always someone else who knows to follow the rules…
Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds
Jessica’s Review:
Wow, wow, wow! This is one where I edited the book descriptions from both Amazon and Goodreads, as both together give away the plot and this is one where it is best to know next to nothing other than the bare minimum: That Will’s brother Shawn was shot dead and Will is determined to get revenge on the shooter. Other than that all you need to know is that the novel is written in poetry/ verse and also takes place in 60 seconds. How does it take place in such a short time period? You’ll have to read this one to find out!
As mentioned, Will’s brother was shot dead and he wants revenge. He seeks out revenge by going to kill his brother’s killer. He gets on an elevator with a gun (which he has never shot)… and then things start happening.
The numbered chapters in Long Way Down descend as the elevator reaches a new floor level, which adds to the urgency of the situation.
I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by the author himself, Jason Reynolds. No one other than Reynolds could have accomplished what he intended; and even in the brief author interview, Reynold explains why only he could narrate this novel. This novel is written in verse, which usually is not for me. In this case I benefitted by listening to the audiobook.
Long Way Down is a short yet also very powerful novel that leaves you thinking about so much after you have finished it. This is one that will stay with you. I can say this is my top read for 2020. The audiobook is just one hour and 45 minutes long and deserves a full listen to in one sitting.
I very highly recommend the audiobook version for everyone, especially if verse and poetry are not your typical genre. Long Way Down is a must read.
Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK