All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely is about a sixteen-year-old boy, Rashad, who is falsely accused of stealing. Rashad wanted to stop by the corner store to grab a snack. While in the convenience store, he is accused of stealing from the store. Rashad tries to explain that it is a simple mistake and tries to explain the situation to the cop, Paul Galluzzo. However, Paul takes Rashad explanations as resistance and belligerence and tries to subdue Rashad through excessive physical force.
Some witnesses see what is happening. Quinn Collins is a varsity basketball player and one of Rashad’s classmates who was raised by Paul when Quinn’s father died in Afghanistan. Someone also made a video recording of the altercation and shared it all over the internet. The news has picked up the footage and it sparks public outrage.
Paul is being threatened and is accused of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn is having a hard time coming to terms with things being said of Paul. Paul had helped mentor and be a father figure to Quinn and he doesn’t want to believe the bad things that are being said. However, Quinn is having a hard time when Rashad is hospitalized and misses school for several days. The basketball team and the school are all taking sides, and Quinn will need to decide which side he is going to be on.
The novel is told from alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn. I thought the book was a raw and emotional read. I liked the alternating perspective as both Rashad and Quinn, as a bystander, come to terms with the act of brutality. I think this was an important book for young readers to read as it shows that sometimes, things are not as black and white as it may seem.
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