Tag: Jason Reynolds

Marshmallow reviews All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

Today Marshmallow reviews All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, first published in 2015.

Marshmallow reviews All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.
Marshmallow reviews All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you would like to read a book about social justice, friendship, bravery, and family, then this might be the book for you. 

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Rashad Butler has worked hard to be an All-American boy. His father believes that the military is the best option for a young Black man in America, so Rashad is in the ROTC drill team at Springfield Central High School. One Friday, Rashad is preparing to go to a party. While he is buying chips in a store, he leans down and reaches into his bag on the floor to get his phone to text his brother. A woman trips over him, and a police officer comes over to see what’s happening. He presumes that Rashad is trying to steal the chips. He drags him outside, handcuffs him, pushes him to the ground, and starts beating him. Rashad is arrested and sent to the hospital with a broken nose, several broken ribs, and internal bleeding. 

Quinn also goes to Rashad’s school. Quinn’s father died in Afghanistan and is viewed as a hero. Quinn feels constantly pressured to be a perfect All-American boy, living under his father’s shadow, even after his death. He’s doing a pretty good job, however, playing on the school’s basketball team competitively. Within a couple weeks, scouts from colleges and universities will be watching their games, and Quinn is determined to be seen.

That very Friday, Quinn and his friends are at the same store, waiting outside to find an adult who could buy them alcohol. Quinn is still there when the police officer beats Rashad viciously and remains there long enough to recognize the officer, Paul, who is like a father figure to him. After his father died, Quinn was taken care of, taught, and protected by Paul who filled the part of a family for Quinn that his mother and brother didn’t. Quinn and his friends flee the scene, and Quinn tells his friend Guzzo (Paul’s brother) what he saw. 

Soon, Rashad’s beating is covered by the news, so much so that Rashad sees this all over the TV while in the hospital. He is confused as to what to do next. His brother Spooney is enraged and helps organize a protest about police brutality. His mother is devastated and tries to stay strong. His father, on the other hand, is conflicted. His father, who was in the military and in the police force, believes that Black men should be disciplined and look like it, because that will prevent anything bad from happening to them. He doesn’t even believe Rashad in the beginning when he says he wasn’t stealing the chips. 

Quinn is also conflicted. He has known Paul for such a long time, and his mind cannot connect the violent officer he saw to the caring, protective figure he’s known for so long. As a family friend to Paul and Guzzo’s family, his “allegiance” to Paul is presumed, but inside he is unsure. He knows that Rashad didn’t deserve to be beaten. 

After that Friday, the city of Springfield is torn into chaos. Sides are taken and lines are drawn. “Loyalties” are put into question while citizens work to fight against social injustice and stereotypes. Meanwhile, Rashad and Quinn live in two different worlds, in two different situations, struggling to make sense of what just happened. 

Marshmallow is reading All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.
Marshmallow is reading All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think All-American Boys is a very meaningful book. I have read and reviewed a book about police brutality from the perspective of a witness before (The Hate U Give). However, All-American Boys is unique because it is written in two different perspectives: the victim’s and the witness’s. So we see the narrative through the eyes of people with fundamentally different experiences. Rashad is Black and gets beaten by Paul, while Quinn is White and had been raised loving and respecting Paul. As expected, the two boys have a fundamentally different experience with racism. Each chapter is written from either Rashad’s or Quinn’s perspective, and they mostly alternate between the two narratives. Rashad’s chapters are written by Reynolds and Quinn’s are by Kiely, which adds depth and more detail to the storyline. The characters have a very realistic, down-to-earth feel (for example we get to connect with Rashad beyond his victimization as a young person who draws to express himself), as well as the school and small-town environment created by the authors. I find it impressive how the two authors wrote such a cohesive book together.

I have read another book by one of the authors (Jason Reynolds) before: Long Way Down. I have deeply enjoyed reading both, and I think this book, as well as that one, should be read by all. It is important for everyone to read and understand the perspectives of others, especially given how some situations are experienced in extremely different ways by different people based on their race.

All-American Boys might be more appropriate for bunnies older than ten because it has a lot of cursing, and the topic might be a bit heavy for younger ones. Otherwise, I would definitely recommend this book to all because of its well-written storyline, characters, and important message. 

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%. 

Marshmallow rates All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely 100%.
Marshmallow rates All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely 100%.

Marshmallow reviews Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

In her second review for 2024, Marshmallow talks about Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, first published in 2017, and awarded the Newberry Honor in 2018.

Marshmallow reviews Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.
Marshmallow reviews Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

Marshmallow’s Quick Take: If you are interested in reading books about family, gang violence, growing up against significant challenges, and morality, then this might be the book for you.

Marshmallow’s Summary (with Spoilers): Will’s brother, Shawn, was just shot in front of him. They live only a couple blocks away from the territory of the Dark Suns, a dangerous local gang, and Shawn had gone into their territory to get a special soap for their mother’s eczema. Will is sure that he knows who is responsible for his brother’s death: Riggs. And he is going to make sure that Riggs pays for it.

See, Will lives in a hard, tough neighborhood. There are gangs, shootings, murders, and violence regularly. And everyone follows the Rules. Shawn, in fact, was the one who taught them to Will:

  • Number 1: No crying,
  • Number 2: No snitching,
  • Number 3: Get revenge if someone hurts your loved ones.

Will is determined to follow the Rules. He sure is not going to cry or “snitch” to the police, but he is going to try to get revenge on Riggs. He takes his brother’s old gun (which is fully loaded except for missing only one bullet) and heads out of his apartment on the eighth floor, to get to where he thinks Riggs is as soon as possible. He gets on the elevator and presses “L”, for lobby.

Unfortunately for Will, it is a long way down and the elevator stops at each level, a person getting on at each. What is more, these are not normal people. These are dead people who Will knew. First, it’s a friend of Shawn. Next, it’s Will’s old friend who was shot at a playground with him. And so on.

Each person Will meets in this short elevator ride that takes the whole book is important to him in some way. His mindset, originally so focused on revenge, starts to loosen. Once the elevator reaches the last floor, will Will continue with his plan or will he make a different choice?

Marshmallow is reading Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.
Marshmallow is reading Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

Marshmallow’s Review: I think that Long Way Down is a very successfully written book, in more ways than one.

I, personally, do not always love books written in verse; I sometimes find it hard to discern the plot and I feel like it limits character growth. Before this book, Starfish by Lisa Fipps was the only such book I really appreciated. So when I started reading this book and realized it was in verse, I was a little disheartened. However, I feel like this book was very successful in all the categories most good novels excel in. The narration through Will’s eyes and voice worked well, the characters introduced came across quite clearly, and the events unfolded effectively. The free-style though structured poetry added to the feeling of confinement in an elevator.

Both the plot and the premise of Long Way Down are most intriguing; the whole book takes place in the course of one fateful elevator ride as conversations unfold in front of Will. I do want to warn readers that there is a cliffhanger at the end of the book, and this is not part of a series. However, the journey to that point is worth it. The author did not leave things hanging just for the sake of it of course; the end makes the reader think hard about what will happen next and process the message of the book even more carefully. I can see this book successfully paired with The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton in important discussions young people can have about gangs and violence.

If it is not clear already, let me say explicitly that I think Long Way Down is important for bunnies of all ages to read. There is some slang used, and of course the weight of gang violence might make the book a bit inappropriate for the youngest bunnies. But for bunnies reading middle grades books, it is an important (and quick, breathless) read. Will’s story makes you realize the harsh reality of gang violence if it is not your own actual reality. Many people, pop culture, and the media glorify gangster culture, but this book shows what happens to the people who are affected. 

Marshmallow’s Rating: 100%. 

Marshmallow rates Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 100%.
Marshmallow rates Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds 100%.