All American Boys
Coming out on September 29, is the book All American Boys by author Jason Reynolds, along with Brendan Kiely (author of Gospel of Winter). The books authors, one black, the other white; confronts racial issues head on. Reynolds and Kiely had met while promoting their books on tour. The two discussed the issues of race and police brutality and decided to work together on a novel focusing on those issues. So the two began emailing each other the details for the plot and characters (one black and one white.) Reynolds wrote from the perspective of Rashad, while Kiely wrote from Quinn's perspective.
Summary (from Amazon):
A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, 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 concrete pavement?
Reynolds has stated that the issues in this book are personal and that is not just about black and white, but about fear and things we don't stop to think about. Both authors state that their goal is to generate discussions on the topic of race.
But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins—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 savior could possibly be guilty.
I am very excited to read All American Boys -- I think it will be a great book to add to my YA collection and should be great for discussions. I know that this will be one I will book talk and give to kids!
Credit: Teachingbooks.net and Publishers Weekly
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