All American Boys by Jason ReynoldsMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow, what an emotional roller coaster! This book is unique and special because Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely collaborated on this diverse story and as a result the reader is plunged (again and again) into the moment Rashad leans down to get money from his bag and a woman accidentally falls on top of him-- when BAM, this African American ROTC teen is beaten to a pulp by a white police officer. In a ripped from the headlines news story, video is found and played continuously for days inciting anger, fury, and sympathy. Quinn happens to be there and sees Rashad being beaten by a cop who has been a father figure to him since his father died. This book reminded me of 2 other books that deal with racism, prejudice and unreliable narrators - Fade to Black by Alex Flinn and How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon. Reynolds and Kiely do an awesome job of encouraging readers to stand up to police brutality and racism and continue to work toward being aware and educating others to fight the fight.
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