Ain't Burned All the Bright
by Jason Reynolds
Illustrations by Jason Griffin
A Caitlyn Dhouly Book
Simon & Schuster
2021
384 pages
ISBN: 9781534439467
Available January 11, 2022
from Amazon Reviews
A profound visual testimony to how much changed while we all had to stay inside and how much—painfully, mournfully—stayed the same.
Reynolds’ poetry and Griffin’s art perform a captivating dance on pages of mixed-media collage and emotive reflection on the pronounced threats facing a contemporary Black family. In “Breath One,” the opening of the verse narrative, the unnamed boy protagonist struggles with the onslaught of TV news coverage of the systemic violence and death experienced by Black people—coverage that is both overwhelming and insufficient. The television then forms the backdrop of the narrator’s concerns for his bedridden father, who is struggling with an acute respiratory illness while isolated in a bedroom. The art is sometimes spare and monochrome before shifting to a bright and striking palette as Griffin deploys aesthetics that enliven the rich flow and rhythm of Reynolds’ words. The two skillfully go back and forth like rap duos of old, each with a distinct voice that enriches the other. The result is an effective critique of the ways we’ve failed as a society to care for one another. By “Breath Three,” however, a complicated optimism shines through for a family that perseveres through closeness and connection despite what is broadcast from their TV. While grounded in 2020, many of the issues touched on explicitly are very much not over and not even new, making this remarkable work both timely and timeless.
Artful, cathartic, and most needed. -- Kirkus Review STARRED REVIEW ― 11/01/2021
Reynolds and Griffin’s searing indictment of the status quo is expressed in the voice of a young, unnamed Black man, whose timely comments resonate beyond the personal to the universal.[…] Reynolds’ text—printed on strips of white paper affixed to notebook pages—comments on a seemingly changeless world on fire, on protests in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, and on the seeming omnipresence of COVID-19—all of which reflect a world without the freedom to breathe. It’s a bleak picture but not one without hope of change. Griffin’s remarkable mixed-media collage pictures that employ a palette largely of black and red are a perfect complement to the text, capturing its tone and style exactly while expanding and enhancing the words of the poetic text. The result is an important combination that expresses the zeitgeist of a troubled time. It’s essential reading. -- Booklist *STARRED* ― 12/1/2021
Author Reynolds and artist Griffin, friends and previous collaborators (My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.), explore recent events in America through a poetic multimedia partnership told in three “breaths.” […] As Reynolds’s lines depict Black people facing police brutality, Covid-19, and general concerns regarding safety, Griffin’s captivating collages literally and metaphorically capture a constant state of worry and panic, leading to visual moments that encourage the reader to find solace and inspiration in the everyday. -- Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW ― 11/15/2021
My Review:
Ain't Burned All the Bright is a profound read that will shake you to your core.
Bound to be the most talked about YA release of 2022, dream team collaborators Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin capture the angst, anxiety, loneliness, apathy, isolation, frustration. anger, hatred, bleakness, despair, moral poverty, yearning, hope, love, learning, humanity and motivation for change every human has felt in the last two years.
A young boy feels despair while his mother watches hours of television news. It's the same every time. Someone dies, someone gets shot by police, thousands catch Covid and die, hospitals are overwhelmed, the system is busted, people are MAD yet his mother sits and watches the news. His younger brother ignores everything and everyone and won't look up from his video game, his sister talks to her friends about what's happening and wants to join masses in the street, his father coughs from another room, his breathing getting worse by the hour. The young boy questions why won't people change and respect each other and care for one another. He ends on a positive note that he can at least find the remote and change the channel.
The pandemic paired with the killings of a number of black men and women by police and an election like no other fueled Americans to take to the streets for change. Wanting change and getting change are two very different things as Reynolds points out in his signature poetic free verse style. Only a few long sentences, yet Reynolds and Griffin are able to dive deep into the social unrest and trauma felt by millions. This a much needed, important book that should affect everyone. Any class of government and American history should include this read.
Powerful imagery and novel similes shine throughout Reynolds' poem. Evocative of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," Ain't Burned All the Bright is likely to become the anthem of the 2020s.
The poetic prose appears in typewriter boxes with pages that look like yellow legal pad paper. Griffin SMARTLY uses several two-page spreads using all black and no words. Red is used throughout and it works to show pain and blood.
Highly, highly recommended grade 6 and up. Great for reluctant readers, design students, art majors and history buffs, and anyone who has lived through this pandemic.
