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.
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“The book-length poem began as a letter to himself ‘to keep from quitting.’ This same humility and vulnerability permeates the entire work…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.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)
“Jason Reynolds performed this poem at the Kennedy Center…[and] now he brings its stirring words to audio, his voice as rich as his powerful message…His deep voice is as calming as his realization that it’s just having the dream that’s important…His warm ‘Afterwards’ puts this piece in the context of his later successes when, looking back, he can see the import of ‘drilling deeper’ and ‘finding joy in the midst of the hard work.’ Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile“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…As a piece that was originally performed, this begs to be heard. However, the printed version will still resonate.”
— Kirkus (starred reviewBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
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 is also the 2020–2021 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.