Timely and Powerful Novel All American Boys is the 2016 One Maryland One Book
Maryland’s Only Statewide Reading & Discussion Program Enters its Ninth Year
(Baltimore, MD)—The Maryland Humanities Council (MHC) is pleased to announce the selection of All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely as the 2016 One Maryland One Book. The book was chosen by a committee of librarians, educators, authors, and parents in February from more than 125 titles suggested last fall by readers across the state under the theme, “the 21st Century Great American Novel.”
“Our One Maryland One Book program brings diverse communities together in conversation around one book, and I’m so excited to see the conversations that will be brought about by this year’s pick. All American Boys offers powerful insights into some of the most complex issues faced by Americans today, making it important reading for Marylanders of all ages.” -MHC Executive Director Phoebe Stein
“I believe books can change lives, but only when they are in the hands of powerful advocates… We wrote this book to set a fire in people’s hearts and spark the necessary conversations we all need to have about systemic racism and bias in our communities. We hoped and dreamed the book could facilitate those kinds of community conversations. Thank you One Maryland One Book for making this dream come true. We’re humbled and honored to be a part of it with you!” – Brendan Kiely
“All American Boys, at the core, is a book about humanity. Yes, it delves into the fear, confusion, and anger that often brews beneath the epidermis of a culture bent on using differences as a way to justify injustice. But that in and of itself, is, in fact, a human trait, one that we hope All American Boys challenges. One that we hope the readers see as an unnecessary, hurtful roadblock, to a more communicative, empathetic future. I couldn’t be more honored, more humbled, that One Maryland One Book has chosen All American Boys as this year’s selection. But more importantly, I couldn’t be more hopeful.” – Jason Reynolds
About the Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book and recipient of the 2016 Walter Dean Myers Award
In All American Boys, the unforgettable new novel from Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension. Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.
About the Authors
Jason Reynolds
Jason Reynolds earned a BA in English from The University of Maryland, College Park, before moving to Brooklyn, New York to pursue a career in writing. He is the author of the critically acclaimed When I Was the Greatest, for which he was the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent, the Coretta Scott King Honor books Boy in the Black Suit and All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), and As Brave as You, his middle grade debut. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.
Brendan Kiely
Brendan Kiely received his MFA from the City College of New York. He is the author, with Jason Reynolds, of the Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book All American Boys. His debut novel, The Gospel of Winter, has been published in ten languages, was selected as one of the American Library Association’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 2015, and was a Kirkus Reviews selection for the Best of 2014. He is also the author of The Last True Love Story. Originally from the Boston area, he now lives with his wife in Greenwich Village. Find out more at BrendanKiely.com.
About One Maryland One Book
When we read a great book, we can’t wait to share the experience and talk about it with others. That’s one of the joys of reading.
In that spirit, through its Maryland Center for the Book program, the Maryland Humanities Council created One Maryland One Book (OMOB) to bring together diverse people in communities across the state through the shared experience of reading the same book. We invite readers to participate in book-centered discussions and related programs at public libraries, high schools, colleges, museums, bookstores, and community and senior centers around the state.
OMOB programs, including an author tour, take place each year in the fall. A calendar of free public events will be available online this summer.
Want to discuss the book now or get updates on upcoming events? Join the conversation on the Maryland Center for the Book page.
One Maryland One Book is funded in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services via the Division of Library Development and Services at the Maryland State Department of Education, BGE, Wells Fargo, the Baltimore City Foundation, and M&T Bank.
About the Maryland Humanities Council
The Maryland Humanities Council is a statewide, educational nonprofit organization. The Maryland Humanities Council creates and supports educational experiences in the humanities that inspire all Marylanders to embrace lifelong learning, exchange ideas openly, and enrich their communities. For more information, visit www.mdhc.org. The Maryland Humanities Council is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the State of Maryland, and the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund, creator of the Baker Artist Awards.