All-American Boys
We just started a new book called “All-American Boys”. We’ve only read two chapters so far, one from the point of view of both of the main characters. The story alternates between a black boy and a white boy: Rashad and Quinn. When Rashad gets accused of stealing at the general store (he was going to pay for the chips and it was all a misunderstanding), a nearby cop starts beating him up. He ends up in the hospital. Quinn was watching it happen. He and his friends were waiting outside the same store, looking for someone who would agree to buy them beer for a party that night (which Rashad was also supposed to be at, which is why he was at the store in the first place). Quinn went around the corner to wait outside the entrance, about to find the person he was looking for, when the cop pushes Rashad outside. The worst thing about it is that Quinn recognizes the cop. His name is Paul, and he is Quinn’s best friend’s older brother. They used to hang out all the time. Eventually, Quinn finds out that the kid he was beating up for no reason was one of his classmates, ROTC kid, even. Now Quinn has to pick a side, Paul, or right. Rashad has to keep himself alive under a broken nose and some ribs, and some false charges. The two barely know each other, but now they are part of history together.
