All American Boys Written by Jason Reynolds. Reviewed by Millie, Age 15

Personally, I found this book enthralling and captivating from the moment I picked it up. It highlights the racial discrimination that millions of people face regularly as well as providing a realistic storyline to go along with it. It was very eye-opening as it is hard, certainly for me, to imagine myself in a position like Rashad’s.

I love that the writer included the perspective of two teenagers, who are seemingly opposites, but clearly feel the same way about police brutality and inequality. I liked that fact that whilst the writer suggested that not all police are bad, there definitely can be a sense of prejudice and power imbalance.

The use of Desmond Tutu’s quote: ‘If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor’, is a highly effective summary of the message the author is conveying throughout the book. To me, it shows us how we can learn to be better, to not stay silent in times of discrimination and to be educated enough to understand and empathise with situations like this. This is so important as sadly this is still a deep-rooted problem in the world.

I really think that everyone should read this, not only for interest, but also because of the inequality it addresses and how insightful it proves to be.