For Every One

by Jason Reynolds

Overview

“A lyrical masterpiece.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

Originally performed at the Kennedy Center for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and later as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers, this stirring and inspirational poem is New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds’s rallying cry to the young dreamers of the world.

For Every One is exactly that: for every one. For every one person. For every one who has a dream. But especially for every kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to imagine. Kids who are like Jason Reynolds, a self-professed dreamer. Jason does not claim to know how to make dreams come true; he has, in fact, been fighting on the front line of his own battle to make his own dreams a reality. He expected to make it when he was sixteen. Then eighteen. Then twenty-five. Now, some of those expectations have been realized. But others, the most important ones, lay ahead, and a lot of them involve kids, how to inspire them: All the kids who are scared to dream, or don’t know how to dream, or don’t dare to dream because they’ve NEVER seen a dream come true. Jason wants kids to know that dreams take time. They involve countless struggles. But no matter how many times a dreamer gets beat down, the drive and the passion and the hope never fully extinguishes—because simply having the dream is the start you need, or you won’t get anywhere anyway, and that is when you have to take a leap of faith.

A pitch-perfect graduation, baby, or inspirational gift for anyone who needs to me reminded of their own abilities—to dream.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481486255
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/02/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	22,374
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	980L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. He’s also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain’t Burned All the Bright; My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One ONE

Editorial Reviews

06/04/2018
As Reynolds writes in an introductory note: “When I started writing this, I didn’t know what it was.” He goes on to explain that this handsomely presented collection of short, loosely connected poems was first written at a time (in his 20s) when he struggled to hold onto his own ambitions. In extemporaneous, ruminating fashion and in fonts reminiscent of handwriting and typewriter print, the poems confess Reynolds’s insecurities, hopes, and struggles throughout the stages of his personal and professional development: “At sixteen / I thought / I would’ve made it / by now. / Now / I’m making up / what making it / means.” Reynolds asserts that his successes have come by way of perseverance, passion, plenty of missteps, and possibly some luck, suggesting that readers, too, will find their way. He modestly emphasizes throughout that he cannot speak to the experiences of others and that even when it comes to his own achievements: “I don’t know nothing about that.” Yet readers will take to heart both his message of solidarity and his assertion that every person’s journey is theirs alone to discover. Ages 12–up. Agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 04/01/2018
Gr 7 Up—Reynolds dedicates this lyrical masterpiece "to the dreamers, to the courageous, and everyone who wants to be," though in his author's note he admits the book-length poem began as a letter to himself "to keep from quitting." He writes "from a place of raw honesty/and love/but not at all/a place of expertise on/how to make your/dreams come true." This same humility and vulnerability permeates the entire work. Reynolds intersperses his own internal battles and unattained hopes as he validates the compulsion to achieve big goals, but that the slog toward them (rather than "making it") may be all there is (and maybe that's enough). The book's unconventionality, tone, spirit, and design will remind Reynolds' most dedicated fans of his first book, My Name Is Jason. Mine, Too: Our Story. Our Way. The notion that even a successful author can doubt themselves will be revelatory to teens. Those seeking a neatly packaged graduation gift book littered with platitudes would be wise to look elsewhere; this latest from Reynolds will challenge readers and undoubtedly inspire, comfort, and validate anyone aspiring to make or do, especially those who have a long road ahead of them. VERDICT A powerful and affirming book-length poem for teens.—Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ

School Library Journal

★ 2018-02-05
A poem provides hope and reassurance to teens as they try to make sense of their own dreams for the future.Award-winning writer Reynolds (Long Way Down, 2017, etc.) offers a letter in the form of a long poem that acknowledges and encourages young people's dreams and aspirations. The poem uses the author's own experiences to show common ground with his readers, making it clear that he is presenting himself as a fellow traveler on the journey: "This letter / is being written / from the inside. / From the front line / and the fault line. / From the uncertain thick of it all." He shares observations of others and the ways in which they coped and speaks of the futility of finding answers in the usual places: "Though the struggle / is always made to / sound admirable / and poetic, / the thumping uncertainty / is still there." This short piece is full of the elements that make Reynolds such a successful writer: honesty, rich imagery, great facility with language, and an irresistible cadence. At times conversational, other times, uplifting, this intimate and powerful piece connects on many levels. Even as Reynolds repeats throughout the poem, "I don't know nothing about that," he is telling his readers a great deal. As a piece that was originally performed, this begs to be heard. However, the printed version will still resonate.Inspirational reading for any occasion. (Poetry. 12-adult)

Kirkus Reviews