Jason Reynolds

Brendan Kiely

When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints.

All American Boys

Melissa Palmer

Book #77 Read in 2018
all American boys

This is a great read on racism and prejudice that young adults will enjoy and learn from. Rashad is in a store and a cop thinks he was trying to rob a female customer. The cop begins beating on Rashad, landing him in the hospital. But some of Rashad's classmates, who are white, witnessed the event. How will it all play out? This book is gritty and real and all the more powerful for it. I recommend it.

Fatima Kadri 

I rarely ever cry when I read a book no matter how sad it is. Although this book only made me cry once, it was for ten minutes straight and I couldn't continue reading until I stopped crying. It was the second or third time the phrase "Rashad is absent again today" was used and it made me think about how you could replace "Rashad" with so many names of people who were absent from school, work, friends and family, and even life, because of racism and brutality. 

The messages in this book resonated with me, especially considering how closely it reflects what's going on in society right now. What I enjoyed the most about this book was getting to see all the different perspectives and the conflict between duty to family and duty to society and the community. This book definitely deserves every bit of praise that it gets.

Abigail F

#RASHADISABSENTAGAINTODAY

“Do you know that stats? It’s something like black people are six times as likely to have no weapons on them when they’re killed by cops.”

Some books punch you in the stomach with the power of their lines. This is one of those books. Focused on the story of a young, black male named Rashad who was beaten by police outside a local convenience store, All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely tackles the relevant and pressing issue of racial inequalities and police brutality in the United States.

Rashad is buying a bag of chips at a local convenience store after finishing up with ROTC when a lady trips over him and he is accused of stealing. The police officer in the store uses what some would consider unnecessary force to arrest him, resulting in a hospital stay. Quinn is standing outside and watched it all happen. The rest of the novel takes place over the next week as both Rashad and Quinn struggle to understand what happened, and their place in the issue. 

Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely work well together to show two different perspectives of the American experience. By raising challenging questions on issues of race and responsibility, these authors force readers to think deeply about their identity and what they consider to be the All-American experience.

With controversial topics being the center of this book, it can be a challenging read. Forcing some readers to come face to face with their own prejudices, forcing others to relive tragic moments, and bringing up painful emotions for almost everyone, this book holds the potential to change lives.

Sarah Selvaratnam 

Lexie 

Nicole Dykeman

A bag of chips. That's all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad's pleadings that he's stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad's every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the pavement? There were witnesses: Quinn - a varsity basketball player and Rashad's classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan - and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his saviour could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team - half of whom are Rashad's best friends - start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.

All American Boys

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