All American Boys

Starred review from August 31, 2015
In this painful and all-too-timely book, two authorsâone black, one whiteâpresent a story of police brutality. Reynolds (The Boy in the Black Suit) voices Rashad, the innocent victim of a police beating; Kiely (The Gospel of Winter) writes Quinn, a horrified witness. The book moves quickly, starting on a Friday night with the boysâclassmates who don't know each otherâpreparing for a party, and ending with a social-media-inspired protest march one week later. For Rashad, the week means facing the physical and mental effects of what has happened, including a father who initially assumes that Rashad is guilty. For fatherless Quinn, the struggle comes from the fact that the cop is not only the older brother of a close friend, but also a father figure. The scenario that Reynolds and Kiely depict has become a recurrent feature of news reports, and a book that lets readers think it through outside of the roiling emotions of a real-life event is both welcome and necessary. Ages 12âup. Agent: (for Reynolds) Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties; (for Kiely) Rob Weisbach, Rob Weisbach Creative Management.

Two talented narrators portray the alternate realities of two teenagers involved in a complex situation. Rashad, an artistic African-American, is savagely beaten by a policeman. Hospitalized, with internal bleeding, he wants only to be left alone. Narrator Guy Lockhard shifts briskly between Rashad's tormented thoughts and the intrusions of the well-meaning people who surround him. An overly enthusiastic nurse, family members, and friends, as well as constant news coverage, compromise his recovery. In alternate chapters, Keith Nobbs portrays the anguish of Quinn, a solitary white teen who witnessed the crime. Nobbs conveys Quinn's emotional journey from wanting to hide his knowledge about what happened to finding the courage to speak. These sensitive portraits describe emotional journeys behind today's all-too-common events. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine