Reynolds is an American author who writes novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audiences. After winning the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent for his first work of prose, he went on to write seven more novels, including Ghost (2016). He followed these books with two more books in what became his New York Times best-selling Track series, Patina (2017) and Sunny (2018). Reynolds has won many awards for his novels including: As Brave As You (2016), winner of the 2016 Kirkus Prize, the 2017 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the 2017 Schneider Family Book Award; and a Marvel Comics novel called Miles Morales: Spider-Man (2017).
Our students will have the opportunity to read All American Boys written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. Both authors have received national acclaim for creatively and authentically using their literary voices to shine a light on racism, privilege, misogyny, and the experiences of youth (white and black). Presented in two alternating and uniques perspectives (white and black), they address a topic “straight from the headlines” --a black youth’s encounter with law enforcement gone awry. There is much to digest in this 316 page novel. In order to stay genuine to the topics above, the authors chose to include real life scenarios which includes some profanity and violence. However, none of these interactions are gratuitous and lend to the authenticity of the characters and the basis for their actions.
Understandably, we realize that for some parents/guardians this may not be a welcome addition to your student's reading experience. We are prepared to offer an alternative reading assignment. Please use this form if you choose to opt out of this reading experience.
These are a few links that can provide you with more information about the authors, the book, and what you can expect from their presentation.
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/20/books/review/all-american-boys-by-jason-reynolds-and-brendan-kiely.html
https://www.npr.org/2016/01/02/461754097/authors-of-all-american-boys-talk-about-how-book-has-sparked-race-discussion
https://youtu.be/JO_m1kKg5RE
https://youtu.be/RIJHGFbfiDw
Library of Congress - Young Readers Center
https://youtu.be/WJmSV5uFySc