Respond to three of the following questions. Responses should each be 4-6 sentences in length.
The novel “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely should be the only source used.
1. How do Quinn and Rashad evolve as characters in terms of agency? What does embracing agency look like for these two characters as the story reaches its end, and what does this look like in terms of a possible message offered to readers about agency?
2. In the end, how do you see the novel deconstructing the notion of “All American,” especially when it comes to boys and men? What does that come to mean in the context of Black people and white people standing together in the fight against racism and systemic oppression? If the book offers a critique of this notion, how far does that critique go and in what ways might it go even farther?
3. As the novel progresses, Quinn and Rashad alike have seemingly endless interactions with adults who don’t know what to say, who say the wrong thing, or who try to use their authority as adults to silence and control teenagers: Ms. Webber loses her temper against EJ, a Black student in her class, even though it was Molly, a white student, who spoke without permission; Clarissa the nurse doesn’t know what to say to Rashad about the act of violence he’s recovering from; Coach Carney refuses to acknowledge what happened to Rashad and forces all players to obey his “no parties and no protests” orders; Quinn’s mother forbids him from attending the rally because her fear of how that would make things awkward with the Galluzzo family is more important than anything else. What does this pattern (and any exceptions you’ve noticed) suggest about teenagers, adults, and forms of institutional power? Is there a critique here, and if so, what is it and how far does it go?
4. In many ways, the conclusion of the novel seems incomplete: most of the characters join the larger community for a “die-in” as a peaceful protest against police brutality, but the book ends before the protest really gets underway and before there’s any sign of real social change. On top of that, the novel ends with Quinn and Rashad making eye contact and acknowledging each other in the distance, but they don’t meet or speak to each other. If the goal of this book is to broach the broader social issue of police violence and systemic racism in the United States (and elsewhere), what does this resolution do in terms of inviting young people to continue to think about this social issue? What are your thoughts, as an individual adult reader, about this social issue after reading this book?
5. In addition to several supporting adult characters, both Quinn and Rashad have several friends around their age who play a role in their development—either as agents of peer pressure or as foil characters to highlight the protagonists’ character development. Both characters also have brothers, and these relationships are important to in terms of the pressures of role modelling and sibling rivalry. What are some ways that one or two of these younger characters play a crucial role in the development of either character or plot?
