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All American Boys
by
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 ...more
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 ...more
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Hardcover, First Edition, 316 pages
Published
September 29th 2015
by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
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Juniors and Seniors in high school.
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Wow! This was incredibly powerful. This is a book that will move you and challenge you to think about the world that we currently live in. It focuses on racism and police brutality. I really respected the emphasis on how not all police are bad, but that there can be power imbalances. This book definitely left a mark on me and I know that it’s one that I’ll think about often.
Books save lives. And they change hearts and minds. This will be one of those books.
This was so so powerful and basically amazing. I know it's a slightly older book (2015) but it's like on par with The Hate U Give which has a ton of well-earned fame. This one about #blackLivesMatter is like just as powerful and super heartbreaking and the last scenes were heartwrenching.
It's dual narrated by Rashad and Quinn. And it was interesting to get both perspectives. Rashad is the victim of police brutality where he's nearly beaten to death for doing absolutely nothing. And Quinn knows t ...more
It's dual narrated by Rashad and Quinn. And it was interesting to get both perspectives. Rashad is the victim of police brutality where he's nearly beaten to death for doing absolutely nothing. And Quinn knows t ...more
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
#RashadIsAbsentAgainToday
I’m going to be perfectly honest here and say All American Boys is not the most well-written book you’ll ever find. However, it might be one of the most important and I encourage any parent of a middle-grader toforce them to encourage them to read it.
I generally try to keep my non-book opinions off of Goodreads, but . . . .
I’m telling you right now, if you are aTrump supporter person who already kno
...more
#RashadIsAbsentAgainToday
I’m going to be perfectly honest here and say All American Boys is not the most well-written book you’ll ever find. However, it might be one of the most important and I encourage any parent of a middle-grader to
I generally try to keep my non-book opinions off of Goodreads, but . . . .
I’m telling you right now, if you are a
Here Are 5 Books about Race Relations You MUST READ:
- All American Boys
- The Poet X
- The Hate U Give
- Dear Martin
- Ghost Boys
...more
- All American Boys
- The Poet X
- The Hate U Give
- Dear Martin
- Ghost Boys
...more
I am not the same person that I was when I started this book. Thank you Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, for reminding me why I read and the propensity with which books can change us, make us alter our lenses we use to view the world and our privilege, and touch our souls.
Phew. This is a difficult one to rate, equally difficult to review. I wanted to give it one star and three stars and five stars simultaneously. I can't quite work out my own response.
Part of the problem is that All American Boys is preaching to the choir for me. This book did little to further my understanding of race relations or police power in the US. Then again, I've closely followed the stories of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, etc. etc. etc. I'd be curious to know the reaction o ...more
Part of the problem is that All American Boys is preaching to the choir for me. This book did little to further my understanding of race relations or police power in the US. Then again, I've closely followed the stories of Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Sandra Bland, etc. etc. etc. I'd be curious to know the reaction o ...more
4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Such an important, beautifully written story.
I feel bad that I had to kinda rush through this (it was overdue at the library)––but I can tell you, this is a great and important book that deserves attention.
All-American Boys is the story of Rashad, a black teen who is assaulted by a white cop, and Quinn, a white classmate of his who witnesses the crime (and who also happens to be friends with the cop). It's quite a painful story to read because it's all too familiar. It's impossible to even count the number of true stories about people of ...more
All-American Boys is the story of Rashad, a black teen who is assaulted by a white cop, and Quinn, a white classmate of his who witnesses the crime (and who also happens to be friends with the cop). It's quite a painful story to read because it's all too familiar. It's impossible to even count the number of true stories about people of ...more
Rashad is a pretty typical 17-year-old kid, going to high school, partying with his friends, working on the sketches he hopes to make a living at one day, and participating in ROTC because his dad makes him. But Rashad is also black -- and when a woman trips over him in a convenience store, a white cop jumps to conclusions about what Rashad was doing and beats him up, brutally enough to break ribs and put him in the hospital for a week....more
Quinn, a white kid at the same school, misses what triggere
Απ τα καλύτερα βιβλία που διάβασα φέτος!!!
“In 2012, in the United Kingdom, the number of people (regardless of race) shot and killed by police officers: 1 In 2013, in the United Kingdom, the number of times police officers fired guns in the line of duty/the number of people fatally shot: 3/0 In the United States, in the seven year period ending in 2012, a white police officer killed a black person nearly two times a week. “I’m not much of a talker,” she finished up. “You know that. But I know ...more
“In 2012, in the United Kingdom, the number of people (regardless of race) shot and killed by police officers: 1 In 2013, in the United Kingdom, the number of times police officers fired guns in the line of duty/the number of people fatally shot: 3/0 In the United States, in the seven year period ending in 2012, a white police officer killed a black person nearly two times a week. “I’m not much of a talker,” she finished up. “You know that. But I know ...more
Review originally posted on YA Love
Typically for an audio review I break up my post into two parts: the audio review followed by the book review. Today I’ve decided to break away from that. Rashad’s and Quinn’s stories prompted a number of questions to form as I listened to All American Boys, so I decided to list my questions instead of writing a formal review. I think the questions I kept asking myself speak volumes about the story and about our society. All of the questions I’m listing stem fr ...more
Typically for an audio review I break up my post into two parts: the audio review followed by the book review. Today I’ve decided to break away from that. Rashad’s and Quinn’s stories prompted a number of questions to form as I listened to All American Boys, so I decided to list my questions instead of writing a formal review. I think the questions I kept asking myself speak volumes about the story and about our society. All of the questions I’m listing stem fr ...more
How important it is to show that monsters can act human sometimes.
If I had a million dollars I would buy cases of this book. Anytime that someone begins a discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement, police brutality in the United States, or the current American experience of race I'd hand them a copy. This is the most timely and deftly handled book (directed at teens), on the issues of the black and white American racial divide. The frightening thing is that it is set in current time.
"People had told me that racism was a thing of the past, they'd told me no ...more
"People had told me that racism was a thing of the past, they'd told me no ...more
EXCELLENT. This book talks about the problems that plague black boys in this society so eloquently, and looks at it from every aspect. Quinn's struggle was equally as important, as he decides whether or not to make a stand or ignore everything. I love the reliability of Rashad and his friends, it's something I haven't seen in a book in a very long time.
Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.
A powerful social commentary, relevant and deeply moving. This book has the power to open eyes, to invoke empathy, to initiate essential conversations, to aid with understanding, to encourage change. Rich with authenticity and narrative voice, All American Boys is a must read.
...more
A powerful social commentary, relevant and deeply moving. This book has the power to open eyes, to invoke empathy, to initiate essential conversations, to aid with understanding, to encourage change. Rich with authenticity and narrative voice, All American Boys is a must read.
...more
I'm not sure my words will be able to adequately express the importance of this book and the urgency I feel to get it into hands of my urban teens. This is a book to start conversations, in our classrooms and with each other. It's a book to make you take a step back and look at bias in your own life. The power in this book lies in the stripped down simplicity-two boys, two views, one incident, which, through the honesty and realness of the characters who are dealing with complex issues of race,
...more
An important book, but unfortunately not a very well written one. The "message" overshadows absolutely everything in this novel. There is no room for the reader to come to any own conclusions. Still, a fair primer for kids unfamiliar with the "black lives matter" movement.
All American Boys follows a black teen named Rashad who is victim to police brutality; put in the hospital by an officer after doing absolutely nothing wrong.
This book left me with chills, goosebumps littering my arms.
“IF YOU ARE NEUTRAL IN SITUATIONS OF INJUSTICE, YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE SIDE OF THE OPPRESSOR.”
One thing I really appreciate is that Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely recognize and address the fact that there are police officers doing plenty of good in their communities. That not a ...more
This book left me with chills, goosebumps littering my arms.
“IF YOU ARE NEUTRAL IN SITUATIONS OF INJUSTICE, YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE SIDE OF THE OPPRESSOR.”
One thing I really appreciate is that Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely recognize and address the fact that there are police officers doing plenty of good in their communities. That not a ...more
All American Boys zooms in on a violent act that inflames racial tension, similar to books like The Hate U Give and all too familiar in American media culture. Similar to The Hate U Give, All American Boys is written for a YA audience and deals directly with the event and aftermath of a violent act by a police officer on an unarmed black male teenager. What sets this work apart from others is the alternating viewpoint between two protagonists, Rashad and Quinn, and how authors Jason Reynolds and
...more
The rating for this YA book so far is very high I think primarily because it is timely, ripped out of the daily news about racism and police brutality: Rashad, a (black) teen in a convenience store to buy a bag of chips, reaches into his backpack while in line just as a (white) woman accidentally bumps into him, and he falls to the floor. The owner, much besieged by petty theft, sees Rashad with his hand in his bag, yells to a (white) cop in the store that the kid is shoplifting. The cop beats t
...more
4 1/2 stars
"Look, if there are people who are scared of the police every day of their lives," Jill said, determined, "I'm going to live in fear of them for at least one day to say that I don't think that's right."
This book needs to be in libraries and schools everywhere. It's absolutely an "issue" book, but the authors do a great job of crafting each character (even the villain) in a way that is nuanced, flawed, and human. I think that young people will connect with these boys and will be inspir ...more
"Look, if there are people who are scared of the police every day of their lives," Jill said, determined, "I'm going to live in fear of them for at least one day to say that I don't think that's right."
This book needs to be in libraries and schools everywhere. It's absolutely an "issue" book, but the authors do a great job of crafting each character (even the villain) in a way that is nuanced, flawed, and human. I think that young people will connect with these boys and will be inspir ...more
This was such a powerful book and I absolutely loved every second of it. I didn't realize that this book was about the topic that it covered and I'm so glad that I went into it blind. It was done beautifully and think that this book definitely doesn't get as much hype as it deserves. I really hope that more people get the opportunity to read it. I definitely will be doing a fully review on it.
Trigger warnings: racism, racial stereotyping, police brutality, mentions of police shooting, mentions of racial slurs.
OW MY FEELINGS.
So I've been meaning to read this book for at least the past year, and yet somehow I never quite got around to it. Better late than never??
Anyway. I was a little hesitant going into this, because I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for a book dealing with this subject matter. And yet I ended up completely hooked from page 1. I found the juxtaposition of Rashad an ...more
OW MY FEELINGS.
So I've been meaning to read this book for at least the past year, and yet somehow I never quite got around to it. Better late than never??
Anyway. I was a little hesitant going into this, because I wasn't sure if I was in the mood for a book dealing with this subject matter. And yet I ended up completely hooked from page 1. I found the juxtaposition of Rashad an ...more
TW: racism, police brutality, assault
Another book that has a strong central message, but is bogged down by the writing and story structure. 2 1/2 stars
This novel takes place in two perspectives. The first is Rashad, an African American teen, who is assaulted by a police officer after being accused of stealing something when he didn’t do anything wrong in actuality. The other perspective is Quinn, a white teen who witnessed the assault and must decide whether to speak up.
The best part of this boo ...more
Another book that has a strong central message, but is bogged down by the writing and story structure. 2 1/2 stars
This novel takes place in two perspectives. The first is Rashad, an African American teen, who is assaulted by a police officer after being accused of stealing something when he didn’t do anything wrong in actuality. The other perspective is Quinn, a white teen who witnessed the assault and must decide whether to speak up.
The best part of this boo ...more
Through this book, Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely explores racism, police brutality, and what it means to be an "American Boy". This story is told through different lenses and explores different perspectives. Rashad, a black student, was beaten up by a white police officer and Quinn, a fellow classmate, witnessed it. The authors explained the importance of perspective and how nothing is right or wrong. But more importantly, they also dug into what an "American boy" is. (view spoiler)
...more
It surprises me how many educators have jumped on the bandwagon of this book, and have not reviewed the actual statistics of police brutality vs crime rates in various communities, homicide rates etc.. If you do the research (using government and university studies) vs believing the news (remember, they need to sell advertising) you may see this book to be part of the problem rather than an inspiration for a solution. It seems this book was more published at a convenient time to ignite more divi
...more
4.5 stars. An excellent book on an important topic, but it did occasionally feel like a Book On An Important Topic. More to come.
Rashad is absent again today.
It was fascinating reading this book in both Rashad and Quinn's perspective. At the beginning of this book, both of them were at the opposite sides of the spectrum regarding this issue. But as the story went on, Quinn's attitude and perspective started to change. He was there when Rashad was beaten. He saw what happened. And although he could have easily shrugged his shoulders and walked away saying, "This isn't my problem. This isn't my fight." But he di ...more
“Had our hearts really become so numb that we needed dead bodies in order to feel the beat of compassion in our chests? Who am I if I need to be shocked back into my best self?”
You know how authors' blurbs on books are always like "this book was spell-binding, dazzling, sparkling with literary magic and exquisiteness!!! This is a MUST READ you guys!!!!"?* I'm here to tell you that All American Boys really is a must read. Make it a staple. Make it a YA classic. Books like these are what we sh ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teen Book Club: Buddy Reads - All American Boys | 13 | 29 | Jun 15, 2020 08:30AM | |
| Madison County NC...: Timely read for all of us | 1 | 3 | Mar 31, 2020 12:28PM | |
| 2020 SQHS Your Li...: All American Boys by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds | 5 | 7 | Jan 29, 2020 08:02PM | |
| Shaped by a book: All American Boys | 11 | 7 | Jan 22, 2020 02:02PM | |
| YA Buddy Readers'...: All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, and Brendan Kiely BUDDY READ Starting January 6th, 2019 | 13 | 15 | Jan 14, 2020 12:31AM | |
| All American Boys | 1 | 5 | Nov 21, 2019 11:59AM |
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“IF YOU ARE NEUTRAL IN SITUATIONS OF INJUSTICE, YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE SIDE OF THE OPPRESSOR.”
—
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“Had our hearts really become so numb that we needed dead bodies in order to feel the beat of compassion in our chests? Who am I if I need to be shocked back into my best self?”
—
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