Jason Reynolds-Wiki

***Jason Reynolds***

## Biographical Information

Jason Reyonlds was born December 6, 1983 in Washington D.C. He was raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland.   Jason graduated from the University of Maryland. He spent about  65% of his time writing and reciting poetry all over campus. Jason has a B.A. in English (https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com). After graduating from college he then packed his bags and moved to Brooklyn, NewYork.

Jason is a Black American author of novels and poetry for young adults and middle-grade audiences including Ghost, a National Book Award Finalist for Young People’s Literature.  Reynolds found inspiration in **rap** to begin writing **poetry** at nine years old. Jason focused on poetry for approximately the next two decades only reading a novel cover to cover for he first at age 17. *[1]*

**Themes**

**In many of Jason's books the theme is finding connections even where there is pain.**

A major theme of the book is **Facing One's Fears****.** Coach confides to Castle how he also had to overcome tremendous obstacles. Ghost has to learn to reconcile with his traumatic past, face bullies, own up to his mistakes and his fear of failure on the track.

For the book **All-American Boys** is a book about the challenges faced by teenagers who are emerging from the innocence of childhood and must learn to face the harsh realities of the adult world with maturity and responsibility.

Reynolds books sometimes are comfortably middle class, if not quite “Cosby Show” genteel; sometimes they lead lives touched by crime or poverty, their families fractured by divorce or incarceration. The books provide neither role models nor cautionary tales, and they are written in a hip-hop-inflected teen argot—Reynolds’s interactions with kids keep his references fresh. The “Track” quartet of novels, about a rag-tag track-and-field team, consists of four discrete coming-of-age stories that form a collective document of contemporary urban Black life. (The New Yorker) https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/16/who-jason-reynolds-writes-his-best-sellers-for

**Diversity**

Jason wanted his books to reach young people because most young people hate reading. Jason knew many of these book haters were boys. Jason mentions on his website that many of these book-hating came from boys. Jason knows that many of them don’t hate books but hate boredom. (https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com) Jason has mentioned that he hates reading boring books as well. Jason has stated *“I write to Black children. “But I write for all children.”* Jason ability to connect his own experiences with those of the young people he writes for, and to address his readers with patience and respect.

**Style**

Jason’s books are a conversation for young readers.The books are both frank and age-appropriate. In the young-adult novels, a boy might fret about when he will lose his virginity; elementary-school-age readers will find stories of chaste romance or school-cafeteria politics, leavened with potty humor. Reynolds’s imperative, always, is to entertain his readers. Mention above Jason wanted his books to reach young people because he knows so many young people get bored with reading. Jason has the ability to connect his experiences with those of young people.

**Bibliography**

* *Let Me Speak--* (2001).
* *SELF* with Jason Griffin (2005)
* *My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way.* with illustrations by Jason Griffin (2009)
* *When I Was The Greatest* (2014)
* *The Boy in the Black Suit* (2015)
* *All American Boys* with Brendan Kiely (2015). I
* *As Brave as You* (2016)
* *Ghost (Track Book #1)* (2016)
* *Patina (Track Book #2)* (2017)
* *Miles Morales: Spider-Man]*
* *Sunny (Track Book #3)* (2018)
* *Long Way Down* (2018)
* *For Every One* (2018)
* *Lu (Track Book #4) (2018)*
* *Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks* (2019)

**Criticism**

Stamped was the year’s second most challenged title. Parents stated in their complaints that Stamped contained selective storytelling incidents  and does not encompass racism against all people. The construct of race has always been used to gain and keep power to create separation and silence. Dr.Ibram X Jendi is a historian who brought light on the racist ideas in America and inspired hope for an antiracist future. This book shows you why we feel how we feel and the poison of racism lingers. Stamped is not a history book but an intellectual history of prejudice in America. “It is the ruthless prosecution of America's ideas about race for their tensions, contradictions and unintended consequences.” (Washington Post)

**Additional Information**

Just this past Spring myself and my co-teacher introduced our 7th and 8th grade students to a book called **Stamped**. Stamped is one of Jason's most controversial books to date. Stamped: Racism, Anti Racism and You a history of racism for children and teens, by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X.Kendi. There has been a lot of criticism over this particular book. In 2020 Stamped made the American Library Association’s annual Top 10 ‘most challenged’ books to read. (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/apr/06/sharp-rise-in-parents-seeking-to-ban-anti-racist-books-in-us-schools) This list usually contains books that are dominated by **LGBTQ+ issues.**

Since 2014, Reynolds has published **thirteen books,** which have **sold more than six million copies**. Jason has published several **poetry collections** before he published his own first novel, When I Was The Greatest, in 2014. He won the **Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent** for this first work of prose and seven more novels followed in the next four years, including *Ghost* (2016) and two more books in what became his *New York Times* best-selling Track series, *Patina* (2017) and *Sunny* (2018); *As Brave As You* (2016), winner of the 2016 Kirkus Prize, **the 2017 NAACP Image Award** for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teen, and the 2017 **Schneider Family Book Award**; and a Marvel Comics novel called *Miles Morales: Spider-Man* (2017).Reynolds returned to poetry with ***Long Way Down* (2017)**, a novel in verse which was named a **Newbery** **Honor book**, a **Printz Honor Book**, and best young adult work by the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason\_Reynolds)

**Helpful Links**

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2021/apr/06/sharp-rise-in-parents-seeking-to-ban-anti-racist-books-in-us-schools

https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/08/16/who-jason-reynolds-writes-his-best-sellers-for

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason\_Reynolds