All American Boys Essays
As the year came to a close, we read the young adult book All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, which explores the experience of high school students in the aftermath of the assault by a police officer on a young black man. The book examines how our personal experiences, including our race, influences how we respond to and behave to these events.
As a culminating project, students wrote analytical essays answering a question of their choosing. These questions included:
What is the greatest lesson that the main characters learn throughout the book?
What is the most significant experience that compels the characters to take action?
What does the phrase “All American” represent throughout the book?
How does this quote by Desmond Tutu influence the characters in the book?: “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”
Click on the name of a student to read their essay!