82 pages • 2 hours read
Jason ReynoldsA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Elements of humor play an important role in constructing the comforting atmosphere of When I Was the Greatest. As Ali talks, there is no indicator to whom he is speaking, which feels like a deliberate ploy by Reynolds to make the story feel inviting to everyone. It is successful because the inflections of humor in Ali’s narrative style often mimic his tone when he banters with Noodles and Jazz. This creates an effect of intimacy that resonates with the family theme and makes readers feel less like outside observers and more like part of the neighborhood.
While this is a story of friendship and family, it is told in the context of a neighborhood impacted by crime and poverty. Added to that, one of the characters central to the story has a neurological disorder that has affected his life in heartbreaking ways. These injections of humor serve to counterbalance the heavier aspects of the story’s content and avoid contributing to an already extensive catalogue of trauma porn about Black experience.
By Jason Reynolds
Ain't Burned All the Bright
Ain't Burned All the Bright
Jason Reynolds
All American Boys
All American Boys
Brendan Kiely, Jason Reynolds
As Brave As You
As Brave As You
Jason Reynolds
Eraser Tattoo
Eraser Tattoo
Jason Reynolds
For Every One
For Every One
Jason Reynolds
Ghost
Ghost
Jason Reynolds
Long Way Down
Long Way Down
Jason Reynolds
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks
Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks
Jason Reynolds
Lu
Lu
Jason Reynolds
Miles Morales: Spider-Man
Miles Morales: Spider-Man
Jason Reynolds
Patina
Patina
Jason Reynolds
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Reynolds
Stuntboy, in the Meantime
Stuntboy, in the Meantime
Jason Reynolds
Sunny
Sunny
Jason Reynolds
The Boy in the Black Suit
The Boy in the Black Suit
Jason Reynolds
There Was a Party for Langston
There Was a Party for Langston
Jason Reynolds