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!

Meridian Academy