Reviews with content warning for Violence - All American Boys

I'm glad I got around to reading this book. All of what is discussed here is still way too true today. As a white person, I felt way too much about what Quinn was saying about being neutral and standing on the sidelines.

After reading other reviews, I saw some comments that resonated with me. Rashad's story was too slowly paced, Rashad was too much of a model kid. I wish there was a discussion of kids who maybe have shoplifted before, but even still do not deserve this treatment. I wish we heard more about what happened after the protest. These are what brought my review to 4 stars. This book gave me some stuff to think about but didn't go deep enough into other topics.

Overall, this is a great book to read a narrative that is quick and to the point about racism and police brutality in the U.S.

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theemeraldgirl23's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Rashad Butler and Quinn Collins are two young men, one black and one white, whose lives are forever changed by an act of extreme police brutality. Rashad wakes up in a hospital. Quinn saw how he got there. And so did the video camera that taped the cop beating Rashad senseless into the pavement.

This book was truly amazing. It was incredibly eye-opening. Racism is a difficult topic to breach and this novel handled it beautifully. It was told in a dual first-person perspective from Quinn and Rashad. Quinn was written by Brendan and Rashad was written by Jason. So the writers wrote the characters of their own race. Personally, I liked Rashad more in this story because you truly get to read about the experience of being black in America, but I do really like Quinn's development by the end when he ends up deciding to join a protest after wearing a shirt that said, "I am marching, are you?" and going against his best friend who was the brother of the guy who beat up Rashad. This novel was really good and gave me at least a little bit of hope in humanity. I just loved its message and how it was conveyed. I think this changed my perspective on things and gave me a new understanding of the police system in America. And although it was written in 2015, it's themes are still very relevant today. I really recommend this novel to those who want to gain a new perspective and read about other races and cultures.

Content Warnings