All American Boys Secondary Assignment Questions PDF

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1. Consider the cover of All American Boys. In what ways does the image represent or symbolize events that transpire throughout the novel? 2. Halfway through the narrative order switches from Rashad-Quinn, to Quinn-Rashad. Why? Describe the effect of the final chapter, in which their voices come together at last. Why is it the shortest chapter? 3. Watch the two author interviews included in this module. (One is Jason Reynolds alone, the other includes both authors.) What did you learn about the structure and theme of this novel listening to the authors speak about their work? Why did they decide to collaborate on this particular project? Be sure to account for each author's view. 4. Dwyer tells Quinn, “Listen, man. You’ve got to fix this. We got to get the team straight... This is too big. This is our life, man. Our futures.” Consider English’s, Shannon’s, Guzzo’s, Dwyer’s, and Quinn’s shared passion for basketball. What role does the game play in the lives of these characters, and in what ways does this sport allow these young men to come together as a team? In what ways is the coach's single-minded focus helpful? In what ways is it hurtful or limiting? From your perspective, what will they all have to do as a team to overcome this divisive experience? 5. Explain the title, All American Boys. What does it mean? In your opinion, does it accurately describe the events and relationships portrayed in the novel? 6. Jill tells Quinn, “I don’t think most people think they’re racist. But every time something like this happens, you could, like you said, say, ‘not my problem.’ You could say, ‘it’s a one-time thing.’ Every time it happened.” Do you agree with her assessment? Why or why not? 7. Did you like this novel? What did you find compelling about it? What did you find challenging or disturbing? Given the ending, what questions does it leave open or unresovled? Why do the writer's choose to leave it that way?

1. The cover of All American Boys shows a boy holding his hands up in front of the police, it’s unclear whether or not the boy is meant to be Rashad or Quinn, which I think is intentional. You can’t tell if the boy is black or white, but the message is clearly that they are afraid of the police. The silhouette represents any “all american boy”. 2. I think that half-way through the novel the narrative order switches because Quinn is getting information faster than Rashad is, seeing from Quinn’s perspective everything

that is happening at school and how divided everyone is, and then the stark contrast of Rashad sitting in a hospital room by himself while all of this is happening, shows us how events outside of his own control is directly impacting him and his recovery. By this point in the novel, the actions taking place and preparations for the protest are no longer about just Rashad, but every young black boy or girl who has ever been in a similar situation. In the final chapter when their voices come together it’s as though they know what the other boy is thinking, they’ve both gone through some much change in just the past week alone, and they’ve grown together even if they don’t know one another. I think it’s the shortest chapter because they’ve already said everything that needs to be said, all that’s left is that they truly see each other. 3. I think the most important places to the story are Rashad’s hospital room, which Rashad compares to a jail cell on page 238 when he thinks “If it weren’t for Clarissa, my hospital room wouldn’t have been that different than a prison cell … An uncomfortable bed. Three meals. Loneliness, even when the visitors come”. Even though Rashad didn’t end up incarcerated, he still was stuck in one place being watched by everyone else, unable to do what he wants. Next is Jerry’s corner store, because it holds so much emotional energy that even Rashad’s father refuses to drive past it just to try to keep Rashad from having to relive his traumatic experiences once more. Finally is the front of the school, where Carlos tagged #RashadIsAbsentAgainToday, on page 211 Quinn states “I met Jill on the front steps by the tag. What had once been a non-hang at school had now become the  hang at school” which shows us how quickly the lives of all of the students has changed to show their displeasure about what had happened to Rashad. In less than a week the entire culture of the school social dynamic has shifted. 4. Basketball motivates all of them, in one way or another they see it as the door to their future. This shared passion allows them a chance to connect with people who they otherwise may not have a lot in common with, but they all support each other and the team. The coach’s single-minded focus on the game and the team may have helped the boys from getting too worked up, and reminding them that their lives will move forward. The conflict between Rashad and Paul seems big now, and it is, but it won’t feel like this forever. It’s limiting because it pushes the boys to not even consider or think about how they’re feeling, instead of using their conflicting opinions to fuel competitiveness and strengthen their skills, it ends up eating them up inside until they end up lashing out and it doesn’t help anybody. In order to come together as a team after this experience that has divided them, they all need to acknowledge why the other boys may think or feel how they do. If they never put any effort towards empathizing with one another then they’ll stay bitter and resentful long after the actual conflict has passed. 5. The title All American Boys represents how both Quinn and Rashad are “all american boys” in their own right, and the term has no set definition. I believe that it accurately describes the events and relationships in the novel because both Rashad and Quinn’s families have expectations of their sons to fit the term “all american boy” in one way or

another. Quinn is expected to follow in his father’s footsteps, and Rashad is expected to make his father proud through ROTC. 6. I agree with Jill’s assessment. A person may not go out of their way to cause injustice, but it should not be the job of the oppressed to fix the problems in society. Racism is a problem for everyone, even if they aren’t directly negatively impacted by it. 7. I loved this novel, although it was difficult for me to read because I felt so emotionally moved by it. I found the characters compelling because both Rashad and Quinn are so human, it’s easy to understand how they feel and why. I found it difficult to read all at once because I know things like this are still happening, all over our country every day. After reading the ending I really want to know whether or not Quinn and Rashad will become friends, but I think the authors chose to leave us without knowing because it doesn’t matter whether or not they eventually become friends, what matters is how they acted during the week covered in the novel when they were virtual strangers affected by the same traumatic event....