All You Have to Do

De: Autumn Allen

Narrado por: Nile Bullock, Autumn Allen, Kevin R. Free

Powerful, thought-provoking, and heartfelt, this debut YA novel by author Autumn Allen is a gripping look at what it takes (and takes and takes) for two Black students to succeed in prestigious academic institutions in America.

In ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, two Black young men attend prestigious schools nearly thirty years apart, and yet both navigate similar forms of insidious racism.

In April 1968, in the wake of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Kevin joins a protest that shuts down his Ivy League campus...

In September 1995, amidst controversy over the Million Man March, Gibran challenges the “See No Color” hypocrisy of his prestigious New England prep school...

As the two students, whose lives overlap in powerful ways, risk losing the opportunities their parents worked hard to provide, they move closer to discovering who they want to be instead of accepting as fact who society and family tell them they are.

©2023 Autumn Allen (P)2023 Listening Library

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A duet of narrators delivers the protagonists' alternating chapters and the time periods that influence them. Nile Bullock portrays Gibran, a Black senior at a predominately white suburban high school. Bullock expresses Gibran's fiery response when his request to attend the 1995 Million Man March is denied by his school.... Kevin Free uses a calmer affect for Gibran's uncle, Kevin, whose responses to racial inequity are contained but equally strong.... The author portrays Dawn, Gibran's mother and Kevin's sister, who connects the men and their parallel stories." (AudioFile)

★ "Allen constructs a vivid narrative that balances both timelines seamlessly and pointedly highlights often overlooked history. The crisp, succinct prose and fully realized characters make this a shining example of how principled research in lock step with exceptional writing creates an unforgettable reading experience. An electric debut: a must-read for all." – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

★ “This intense debut novel connects two young Black men struggling for acceptance and equality. Allen expertly integrates historical civil rights figures and events into a character-driven narrative that communicates how it feels to be transformed by a powerful speech, to face violence, and to stand tall every day in the face of injustice and racism. She ends with a moment of triumphant unity in a struggle that continues.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

“A compelling portrait of the intersectionality of race, class, and intergenerational change that features two Black young adults, Kevin and Gibran, living through two different time periods. An important addition to the canon of YA historical fiction and especially recommended for readers who are invested in the history of racism and the struggle for freedom.” – School Library Journal