Prepare yourself for something unlike anything: A smash-up of art and text for teens that viscerally captures what it is to be Black. In America. Right Now. Written by #1 New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds.
Jason Reynolds and his best bud, Jason Griffin, had a mind-meld. And they decided to tackle it, in one fell swoop, in about ten sentences, and 300 pages of art, this piece, this contemplation-manifesto-fierce-vulnerable-gorgeous-terrifying-WhatIsWrongWithHumans-hope-filled-hopeful-searing-Eye-Poppingly-Illustrated-tender-heartbreaking-how-The-HECK-did-They-Come-UP-with-This project about oxygen. And all of the symbolism attached to that word, especially NOW.
And so for anyone who didn’t really know what it means to not be able to breathe, REALLY breathe, for generations, now you know. And those who already do, you’ll be nodding yep yep, that is exactly how it is.
Amazon.com: Ain't Burned All the Bright: 9781534439467: Reynolds, Jason, Griffin, Jason: Books
This one was interesting - I didn't expect it to literally have one sentence PER PAGE, but I was pleasantly surprised that I could finish a whole novel in just one sitting! Thinking about our students, I imagine they would be, too. It gave me a sense of accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteThe book was so realistic - between the news always on the same channel, which is what we all did - to the dad coughing alone in his room - which I experienced with my daughter, to the little brother constantly on the video game - which I experienced with my son AND my students! I could really relate to the days that were D A R K and those that had a glimmer of hope and I loved how the artwork demonstrated those different days.
While this might not have taken up much time to read, it was certainly thought provoking. Fragmenting only a handful of sentences across hundreds of pages made this story a page turner... literally. With gripping artwork and a story that left me on the edge of my seat out of curiosity, Reynolds' novel creates a snapshot of dismal life during a dismal time. Thinking about how our students can use this story, I think this opens doors for rich discussions surrounding the exhausting atmospheres created in each of our individual homes during a pandemic. With familiar nuisances (coughing father, irritated sister, zoned-out brother) present from the jump, the reader has an opportunity to cling to something familiar while being thrust into the unfamiliar structure that this novel brings. Hearing the experiences our students had during the pandemic only adds to our understanding of the struggles created by forced isolation; while we understand what our personal experiences as adults where, it is always incredibly eye opening to hear how kids handled this period of time. GREAT read.
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