First Quarter 2016: When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

[Adventures in YA]

Opening up the discussion for When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds.

What are your initial thoughts for this book? Have you read anything else by Jason Reynolds or is this your first time reading him?

We will be discussing this book on the show in March. Can't wait to see what all of you think.

[Karen]

I liked the book, and could really hear Jason's voice coming through. If you've ever heard him speak, you should definitely get this. He is a firm believer in kids getting what they need when they need it, and creating safe spaces for them.

I've also read Boy in the Black Suit, which I believe is a good look into how different people cope with grief (though I thought character development was lacking for some characters and the ending was incomplete), and All-American Boys, which you need to read RIGHT NOW if you haven't. The book is all too timely, and even the cover is a firm reminder of the Ferguson riots and the September 1, 2014, cover of The New Yorker. Reynolds' and Kiely's two POV narration is effective in making readers question how you handle a race-driven act of violence.

[Erica]

Couldn't agree more with Karen- All American Boys is a gritty masterpiece. I loved it!

[Becca]

I liked the book so much that I've already put All American Boys on hold from my library. :)

Like you all said in the podcast, I was just waiting for something absolutely horrific to happen. I can't even tell you how relieved I was when it didn't. I felt like I was cringing in anticipation as they went to the party, as Ali's father left to "take care of things." I was afraid to turn the page.

[Rebekah]

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve been trying to push myself to read more contemporary fiction and this was a great book to add to my list this year. Jason Reynolds’ writing is so good. At first I started adding post-it tabs to pages to mark the sentences that stuck out to me, but after a couple of chapters I realized that I was marking almost every page so I stopped and just enjoyed the flow.

I loved that this book made me laugh, tear up (that final scene on the stoop between Needles, Doris, and Noodles wrecked me a bit), and feel anxious about what was going to happen next (I was quite proud of myself for not jumping ahead to see what was going to happen; although, the temptation was great). I know a book has gripped me when I start talking out loud to the characters and saying things like “oh no” and “awwww” as I read.

Great choice for the first book club read! I’m definitely picking up All-American Boys.

[Sarah]

I'm adding my review. I really enjoyed this book and it was not something I would have chosen to read on my own so it was a great choice!

Ali, Noodles and Needles seem like sweet, good kids who try to stay out of trouble which is why halfway through, when it's obvious that trouble is coming, I almost gave up on the book because I didn't want to read anything bad happen to any of them. I'm glad I stuck with it to because it concludes with the enduring values of friendship, love and family. Jason Reynolds is very gifted with character development; even the characters with smaller roles are nuanced and complicated in a way that makes them seem more fully fleshed out.