Reviews
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by Jason Reynolds; illustrated by Jason Griffin
A Caldecott Honor winner!
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.
Recommended for ages 12 years and up.
Hardcover, 384 pages.
Published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. Simon & Schuster. Printed in China.
★ "A profound visual testimony to how much changed while we all had to stay inside and how much—painfully, mournfully—stayed the same. Artful, cathartic, and most needed." – Kirkus Review
★ "There's nothing Reynolds can't do, and his readers know it. This creative, timely reflection will be particularly admired by teens seeking change. It’s essential reading." – Booklist
★ "As Reynolds’s lines depict Black people facing police brutality, Covid-19, and general concerns regarding safety, Griffin’s captivating collages literally and metaphorically capture a constant state of worry and panic, leading to visual moments that encourage the reader to find solace and inspiration in the everyday." – Publishers Weekly
★ "This powerful title may become the memory book for how we made it through troubled times." – The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
★ "Ain't Burned All the Bright is a gripping, emotional look into the life of a Black family living through what is evidently the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic." Shelf Awareness
★ "Griffin’s art is the linchpin of the book. He skillfully juxtaposes vast spaces of black and white with color and texture; canvas tape and speckled paint make images feel urgently dimensional, while the blank spaces feel expansive." – Bookpage
★ "The poem and images create an authentic young adult narrator trying to grapple with the confusion and fear of the double pandemic (COVID-19 and systemic racism) he is facing." – Horn Book Magazine
★ "Reynolds’s breathtakingly poetic prose melds seamlessly with Griffin’s effective multimedia images to capture a story of our time that should be read by everybody. This is a must read." – School Library Journal
Awards & Honours:
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
ALA Notable Children's Books
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Iowa Teen Award Nominee
Florida Teens Read Master List
Capital Choices Noteworthy Books for Children's and Teens (DC)
NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts
Boston Globe/Horn Book Award
Charlotte Award Ballot (NY)
TAYSHAS Reading List (TX)
ALA Caldecott Honor
ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - Top Ten
ALA Notable Children's Recording
In the Margins Top Ten List
Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Multicultural Books List
Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Nominee
ALA/YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults List
Dogwood Reader Award Final Nominee (MO)
White Raven Award
