Review of For Every One by Jason Reynolds

Read for: Borrowed Books/ Audio Book

Synopsis: "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 dreamers of the world.

For Every One is just that: for every one. For every one person. For every one dream. But especially for every one kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to dream. 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 extinguish—because just 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 love my kid gift."

My Review: I hadn't really heard a lot about this book, but I stumbled on it one day and thought I would give it a try. I listened to the audio, which is read by Jason Reynolds himself. It was a really beautiful book and very inspiring, it definitely made me tear up a bit at parts when it felt like my struggle had been seen. I think this is going to become the book I give to everyone of my family members and friends (or friends kids) as they graduate high school and college. It is definitely one to go back to as a reminder that it is okay to dream and strive for those dreams, and fight through the setbacks to keep dreaming and striving.

My Rating:  This was such a great book and it will be fantastic not only for people beginning a new chapter in their lives but even great for starting out a new year and thinking about goals and dreams. I will definitely be referring back to this book throughout the next year and my life.  I give it a rating of Four Paws and a Stump Wag!!