All American Boys is written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. Jason Reynolds has also written Ghost, The Boy in the Black Suit, and As Brave As You. Brendan Kiely has written Tradition and The Gospel of Winter. All American Boys is a realistic fiction story about racism and police brutality. There are two main characters, Rashad and Quinn. Rashad, a black boy gets beat up by a cop because it looked like he was stealing chips, and he is hospitalized. Quinn, a white boy, knows this is wrong, but he knows the cop and he is friends with him. While Rashad is recovering in the hospital, Quinn has to decide who’s side to take.

The theme in the book is that everyone should be treated equal. One quote that stand out in the book is “Rashad is absent again today”  this quote stands out, because it shows that Rashad was abused by the assumptive police officer and is in the hospital. This book is for all audiences to show that racism is bad and still happens today. I really like this book because it was very powerful, and I learned that not everyone is treated equally, and how much police brutality can change someone’s life.