All American BoysAll American Boys
Score Modern
What it's about
Sixteen-year-old Rashad is wrongly accused of shoplifting and brutally beaten by a police officer. His classmate Quinn witnesses it, and the officer is the older brother of Quinn's best friend. Told in their alternating voices, the novel follows a school and a town divided.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It's a powerful, widely taught novel about racism and police violence.
You'll love it if you liked
The Hate U Give
Dear Martin
Long Way DownGood to know
It was written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely. It's a young-adult novel.
By the numbers
- Readers58 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller43 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #98 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #814 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1517 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
If you like this, read next
The Help
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Nineteen Minutes
The Last Song
The Deal
RoomExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →Quick answers
Is All American Boys worth reading?
Yes. It spent 28 weeks on the New York Times bestseller lists. It ranks #1,517 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 68.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is All American Boys about?
Sixteen-year-old Rashad is wrongly accused of shoplifting and brutally beaten by a police officer. His classmate Quinn witnesses it, and the officer is the older brother of Quinn's best friend. Told in their alternating voices, the novel follows a school and a town divided.
How long does it take to read All American Boys?
About 8 hours (320 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after All American Boys?
If you liked it, try The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Dear Martin by Nic Stone or Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

















