All American Boys

Chapters 1-4  

Reading Check

1. ROTC (Chapter 1)

2. Reach in his duffel bag for his phone (Chapter 1)

3. He roughly handcuffs and searches Rashad, then assaults him when Rashad moves. (Chapter 1)

4. Quinn (Chapter 2)

5. Recruitment for basketball (Chapter 2)

Short Answer

1. Rashad’s father believes that joining the army is one of the best opportunities for Black youth. Rashad’s father was also in the military for short time and was a police officer. (Chapter 1)

2. Paul views Rashad as a person who would steal from a store based on Rashad’s race. (Chapter 1)

3. Spoony believes in fighting back against institutionalized racism—especially in the police force. His father (having been on the force) believes that Rashad must have talked back, resisted, and “asked for this.” Their opposing viewpoints create friction. (Chapter 3)

4. Quinn’s father died in Afghanistan, so Quinn’s mother relies on him to help take care of the household and his younger brother. (Chapter 4)

5. Quinn is feeling torn about Paul because when Quinn’s father died, Paul took on a mentor-like role; for example, Paul helped lead Quinn in basketball drills, an activity that Quinn treasures and views as part of his identity. (Chapter 4)

Chapters 5-8

Reading Check

1. Cellphone footage of Rashad and Paul (Chapter 5)

2. Spoony sent the video to the news. (Chapter 5)

3. Rashad’s sketchbook, pencils, and phone (Chapter 5)

4. Tells everyone to ignore what is happening with Rashad and Paul (Chapter 7)

Short Answer

1. Rashad is frustrated by peoples’ preaching: his brother speaking about the difficulties of being Black, his father’s belief that young folk lack integrity, and the pastor preaching about God’s plan for everything. (Chapter 5)

2. The Galluzzos host the barbecue to alert friends and family about the situation. They frame the conflict as Paul being under fire for doing his job; they claim he needs the support of friends and family now more than ever. (Chapter 6)

3. Quinn remembers how he was bullied as a young child by an older boy, Marc Blair. Paul beat Marc when Quinn told him about it. Quinn sees the parallels between Paul’s violent behavior then and what he witnessed with Rashad. (Chapter 7)

4. Rashad was influenced by the comic strip The Family Circus, including how the comic is portrayed in a circle. He is also influenced by Harlem Renaissance painter Aaron Douglas who utilized silhouettes, making the image seem like the viewer is looking through a fog. (Chapter 8)

Chapters 9-12

Reading Check

1. “Rashad is absent again today.” (Chapter 9)

2. Organize a protest (Chapter 10)

3. “Battle Royal,” a short story from The Invisible Man (Chapter 11)

4. Hits Guzzo with his elbow (Chapter 11)

5. To testify on his behalf in court (Chapter 12)

Short Answer

1. Rashad agrees to protest because despite being afraid, he understands that the situation is “bigger than him.” The importance of fighting systemic racism in the police force was more important than his fear of speaking out. (Chapter 10)

2. English is upset with Quinn and defends Paul, suggesting that Paul may have just been doing his job. Guzzo is upset with Quinn because Quinn does not fully support Paul; deep down, Quinn believes that Paul’s actions are wrong. (Chapter 11)

3. Rashad’s father reacted too quickly, shooting an unarmed Black youth because he thought the boy was reaching for a weapon in his backpack when in actuality, he needed his inhaler. Rashad realizes that both Paul and his father held biases that negatively impacted young people of color. (Chapter 12)

4. Rashad drawing himself without the “fog” style of Aaron Douglas represents that he wants to be seen clearly for who he is. Additionally, he begins drawing his mouth to symbolize finally “speaking out.” (Chapter 12)

Chapters 13-17

Reading Check

1. “I’m marching—are you?” (Chapter 13)

2. His drawing of the attack (Chapter 14)

3. All-American (Chapter 16)

Short Answer

1. When Quinn tells his mother that he is going to participate in the protest, she tells him that he is not allowed to join. He disagrees with her but embraces his mother, demonstrating his love for his family while standing for his convictions. (Chapter 13)

2. The protest is a march; once the protestors reach the Police Plaza, they conduct a “die-in” in which everyone lies on the ground. Berry reads the names of unarmed Black men and women who were killed by police. After each one, the crowd yelled “Absent again today,” alluding to the graffiti when Rashad was in the hospital while recognizing victims’ eternal absence. (Chapter 15)

3. When Rashad is anxious, he gets a stomachache. He learns that his father was the same way, and he recognizes that when his father was sick earlier that week, it was related to how worried he was for Rashad and what happened to him. Furthermore, his father ends up attending the protest. (Chapter 16)

4. Rashad removes the bandages from his nose because he wants the world to see what he endured during the attack by Office Galluzzo. (Chapter 16)