Myth of the All-American Boy: How One Young Adult Novel Tackles Race and Masculinity

• In Event: Millennium Hotel Roundtable Session 14
  In Roundtable Session: Readings of Embodiment across/within curriculum

Abstract

The research in this paper examined how one young adult novel, Jason Reynolds and Brendon Kiely’s All American Boys (2015) functions as a response to the rampant allegations of racist police brutality across the country. The authors, a black man and a white man, construct a narrative that presents the nuances of racist conflict and asks us to question our involvement in it. It invites readers to consider our collective responsibility in racist conflicts, as “we couldn’t have racism in America without racists” (p. 256). Through textual analysis considering perspectives of feminism and intersectionality, influenced by Butler (1990) and Crenshaw (1989), this research shows the possibility of using this novel to engage students in important conversation.

Author

• Candence Malhiet Robillard, Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge