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All American Boys addresses the idea of having your voice heard even if you're afraid to speak up, despite who and what is involved.

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It was hard guidance for Rashad throughout the book, with constant judgment from his father and even the media, the uncertainty of where his future relied on upon and battling with the alone thoughts and feelings. At the end of the day, Rashad is just a teenage boy finding himself through life, no matter what he faces, Rashad understands who he is, and what he truly believes in.

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The main character, Rashad, showcases the idea through emotions and trauma, following after getting physically beaten by a white cop, and being wrongfully charged. At the novel's beginning, it seemed like he was afraid even to press charges, unsure of what the future holds for him.

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Rashad felt confused, lost, and hopeless, the only thing motivating him was his friends, art, and support from his community, “The truth was, I was feeling two ways. Physically, I obviously didn't feel great, that's for sure. But not terrible. Not like I thought I'd feel. My breathing was weird and uncomfortable. Every breath felt like a hundred tiny needles sticking me in the chest. But I was okay. Hell, I was alive. And so the other stuff—well, the alternative was way worse” (Pg. 41).

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Majority of the time he spends at the hospital, hopeless and useless, finding himself escaping reality by drawing or simply doing art, “A decent student. I could've had straight As if I wasn't always so busy sketching and doodling” (Pg. 8). As said before, its set in current modern day, the challenges like no money, racism, protesting, and being profiled are still present, Rashad, knows he won't let his father stop him from speaking up for himself, he has his friends and strangers support.

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Rashad comes from a wealthy family, his father serving in Afghanistan and being a police officer. He’s set to become like his dad, a current ROTC in his school while also being your normal typical kid, “I didn't need ROTC. But I did it, and I did it good, because my dad was pretty much making me” (Pg. 6). He has his group of friends, a certain girl he likes, and his close brother who would do anything for him, ”Calm down? Let's paint their names on the walls and watch, there'll be enough to give the entire hospital a fresh new look. Then tell me to calm down. He could've been killed!" (Pg. 53).

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Like any other fiction book, All American boys takes place in Springfield. A town where you have the rich and powerful, or rural areas where there’s no hope for certain people. Everyone has a role they play, and how they fit in. I would say it's set in the modern current day, as they face police brutality, injustices, and inequality.

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It was seen all over the community, the news, and apps after his brother spoke up and did something about it. He found it difficult at first to find stuff motivating, feeling weak, and with the constant idea of being convicted of something he didn’t do, “Would the charges stick? Would they follow me around, a smudge on my record until I was eighteen when it would finally disappear?” (Pg. 54).

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It hits him when he’s at the protest, knowing he isn't alone, and that it won’t be a single fight, he breaks down as he listens to names by names of those who aren’t here anymore, knowing that he's lucky to be alive.

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It didn't help when they started to turn on him when they released the group picture, calling him a gang member wanna be, “ In the end, Rashad learns his inner strength and awareness, by facing his problems alone, defending himself from his father who constantly pressures him but he’s no better either, “You know, you were still very young, but Spoony remembers it all. The news. The drama. I'm not proud of it. It'll never stop haunting me, and I think it messes with your brother still too," (Pg. 235), and the trauma he faced.

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The novel All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, faces injustice, trauma, brutality, and the hardships of friendships and family. Rashad suffers discrimination after being wrongfully accused of stealing in a store, while things couldn't get worse he was beaten to death by a white cop, Officer Paul Galluzzo.