New historicists find that “the literary text and the historical situation from which it emerged are equally important” (Tyson 277), while cultural critics believe that  “a literary text… performs cultural work to the extent to which it shapes the cultural experience of those who encounter it, that is, to the extent to which it shapes our experience as members of a cultural group” (Tyson 282). In analyzing All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely with a new historicist and cultural lens, one finds strong historical and cultural connections to the time period in which the text was written and the history behind what led to the attitudes and actions being portrayed in the text.

All American Boys is about two high school students, Rashad and Quinn. Rashad is black and subjected to police brutality, while Quinn, who is white, not only witnesses this event, but also knows the cop brutally beating Rashad.  Since new historicists believe that “history is neither linear… nor progressive” (Tyson 275), new historicists would be interested in racial relations both in the time at which this text was written and whether there are any connections to race relations in society’s past. This novel was released in September 2015, and earlier in April 2015 the Baltimore protests over the treatment of Freddie Gray occurred. So there is definitely a significant relationship between the timing of the novel’s release and the current societal climate at the time. However, it is also important to look at the history of slavery and the historic treatment of blacks by white society to have a stronger understanding of the tensions surrounding racial relations in the novel and society. Since new historicists believe that history is not progressive, they would question how much of the tension between races that existed during slavery is now reappearing or has remained present to now have these moments of police brutality exist.

Tyson also states, “rather, literary texts are cultural artifacts that can tell us something about the interplay of discourses, the web of social meanings, operating in the time and place in which the text was written” (277). All American Boys is written from the perspective of both Rashad and Quinn in alternating chapters. Not only can critics analyze the time period in which this text was written, but they can directly read some of the discourse occurring around the top of race relations and police brutality, as it is directly addressed in the narratives from each of the boys. While Rashad’s chapters focus on giving his perspective of how trying to buy a bag of chips went wrong, Quinn’s chapters focus on Quinn grappling with how the situation led to police brutality and whether that was an appropriate reaction. Circling back to cultural critics belief that a literary text can “[shape] the cultural experience of those that encounter it” (Tyson 282), in offering these two perspectives from seemingly opposing sides, Reynolds and Kiely are hopefully able to then encourage new experiences and ways of thinking for those that encounter this text.

However, cultural critics belief in texts shaping experiences makes me question whether this is because the text reflects something currently occurring in society or if it’s the power of the words and the text itself that causes readers to think about their world and experiences in a new way. For example, while All American Boys does address police brutality in a way that I feel promotes thought, the most well-known novel in my eyes that addresses this topic is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. What led to one text being more prominent than the other? Since other factors such as the date published and author popularity contribute to the answer, perhaps this question goes beyond the scope of what cultural critics would be most interested in analyzing. I think cultural critics would be more interested in how the text has helped to shape each reader’s cultural experiences and look at how that is being done than to analyze how far reaching the text has become.

Works Cited

Reynolds, Jason, and Brendan Kiely. All American Boys. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, 2015.

Thomas, Angie. The Hate U Give. Walker Books, 2018.

Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. 3rd ed., Routledge, 2015