Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - All American Boys

This book masterfully situates two boys at the center of a major political discussion. It blends the personal and the political, highlighting how they can never be separated. Much like Chaim Potok’s The Chosen, it also highlights how members of the same cultural community can react to the same events with different perspectives. Some of the strongest moments in this book occur when characters are put into direct, uncomfortable confrontation with each other. Their experiences and emotions at all times feel human.

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zombiezami's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

4.25

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emilyatthelibrary's review against another edition

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inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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nikriggs's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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grandslamdenny's review

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emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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veskumelooni's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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okaybooklover's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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jenna_smuszkiewicz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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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