Synopsis All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
All American Boys illustrates the legacy of systematic and institutional racism in the United States of America. The dehumanization of Africans began in the 1500s when Europeans started to bring them to the continent of North America as slaves. This book examines the present day legacy of those actions and the effect it has on our society today. Through the voices and experiences of two young men, Rashad and Quinn, and their families, the struggle for equity and acceptance (elimination of racism) is illuminated. This particular story develops within the context of the West side of a small city that is struggling economically. It has grown increasingly diverse during the past 2 decades and with this change tension, stereotyping and scapegoating have grown. Certain racial code words are now used to describe it as a “neighborhood in decline” with an increasing number of “thugs”. At the center of town is Jerry’s Corner Mart, a convenience store that has experienced a fair amount of shoplifting. Where the story starts, Rashad enters the Mart to buy some chips and a pack of gum before a Friday night party. He is falsely accused of stealing, which quickly escalates into him being severely beaten (and then hospitalized) by a white cop named Paul. Quinn, who was about to pay a stranger to buy some beers for him and his friends, witnesses the whole episode from 20 feet away. He does not recognize Rashad but is shocked when he realizes that Paul, his childhood mentor and brother of his best friend Guzzo, is the cop delivering the beating. This event and its aftermath evoke many responses in the city and nation, illustrating the different perspectives on police, justice, and racism that often fall along racial lines. Throughout the book, Rashad and Quinn wrestle with what it means to be black and white (respectively) in the U.S. and what kind of assumptions surround the term “all-American.” To be “American” is sometimes unflattering (the country is built on racism, violence, white domination; all of these things are present in the novel), but the book also presents more hopeful elements (America was also built on resistance and justice). Both boys face pressures to behave in certain ways and push back against expectations with the help of friends and supportive adults -- and while coping with the resistance of friends and adults. Rashad Dual Identity
Quinn Dual identity
Dual Identity
Mr. Butler Dual Identity
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