35 pages • 1 hour 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.
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
The book opens with “A Note.” Here, Jason Reynolds reveals that the book began as a formless creation, evolving into a letter written in parts over years. He discusses the struggle to cling to his dream amid a personal meltdown and the frustration of those around him. Witnessing the lack of imagination in teenagers, he acknowledges their practicality yet feels the pain of being unable to let go of his own dreams. During the writing process, he realizes that other dreamers, much like him, feel frustrated and weary, especially when confronted with criticism. He continued writing and the work emerged as a letter to himself, “a mighty, mighty thing” (4), and a lifeline during times of fear, uncertainty, and doubt.
The book opens with an epigraph by American author James Baldwin. It states the “interior life” holds significance and emphasizes how people’s “intangible dreams” possess the power to influence the tangible world.
The dedication, “For You. For Me,” signifies Reynolds’s intent to benefit both the reader and the writer, a sentiment reinforced by the author’s note (3). “For you,” references the reader, while “For me” alludes to the author.
Reynolds illustrates the dichotomy between youthful aspirations and the practicality imposed by society, such as with teenagers whose vibrant dreams are restrained by a stifling pragmatism.
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
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
When I Was the Greatest
When I Was the Greatest
Jason Reynolds