My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.
Our Story. Our Way.

Name: My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.
Brand: Simon & Schuster Audio
Availability: InStock
Author: Jason Reynolds
ISBN: 9781797150253

Author: Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin

Narrator: Jason Reynolds, Jason Griffin

Unabridged: 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Published: 06/28/2022

Categories: Young Adult Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Social Topics, Friendship

Synopsis

A stunning visual autobiography of two crazy-talented besties, bestselling and award-winning author Jason Reynolds and painter Jason Griffin, who could never be who they are singularly if they weren’t who they were together.

Once upon a time in America, there were two Jasons. Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin. One a poet. One an artist. One Black. One white. Two voices. One journey in mind: to move to New York, the city of dreams, to make their own dreams come true. Willing to have a life not un-hard, so long as it wasn’t unhappy. Willing to let the city swallow them whole, so long as it gives them their chance. They had each other. “What if painting was a sin, and the poetry became taboo. And no one ever clapped for me again. My question is, would you?”

They clapped. Oh, they clapped. And aren’t we glad?

About Jason Reynolds

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, a Kirkus Award winner, a UK Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, an Odyssey Award Winner and two-time honoree, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors, a Coretta Scott King Author Award, and the Margaret A. Edwards Award. He was also the 2020–2022 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series (Ghost, Patina, Sunny, Lu, and Coach); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Stuntboy, In-Between Time; Miles Morales Suspended; Ain’t Burned All the Bright (recipient of the Caldecott Honor) and My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (both cowritten with Jason Griffin); Twenty-Four Seconds from Now...; and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. His debut picture book, There Was a Party for Langston, won a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

About Jason Griffin

Jason Griffin won a Caldecott Honor for his artwork in Ain’t Burned All the Bright, written by Jason Reynolds, and also illustrated Reynolds’s My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. He’s an artist and master collaborator, who has shown his art in major cities all over the world. His most recent projects include a commissioned mural for the children’s cancer wing at Montefiore Hospital in the Bronx, as well as a residency at the new contemporary art museum in Amsterdam, Het HEM. He currently creates in Queens, New York.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Beth on February 10, 2015

A beautiful book of poetry and art created by two friends, one black the other white, one an artist the other a poet. Bound together by their brotherhood of friendship, frequent nights of cereal for dinner, struggles to make rent, and big dreams. My Name is Jason has an almost multi-genre feel to it even tho......more

Goodreads review by Cherlynn | cherreading on August 27, 2022

3.5⭐ Okay, I need more collaborations between the two 2 Jasons! This is a creative and unique mash-up of art and poetry about the authors' pursuit of their dreams as well as their struggles along the way. It's also a beautiful ode to their friendship and how they have leaned on each other through hard......more

Goodreads review by Natasha on November 13, 2024

One word: Brilliant 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 Such a beautiful and interesting composition of thought, poetry, and so much more!......more

Goodreads review by Crystal on May 10, 2014

This is a collaboration between two friends. While the poetry and art would be great alone, it seems like it would only work this well in combination. The poetry tells the story of the two men's friendship and their growth during their late teens and early twenties.......more

Goodreads review by Shan on September 27, 2023

Selfishly 4 stars because I wanted more. An artist and a poet. I love that, the art was great and so were the poems.......more

Quotes

"Author Reynolds and artist Griffin shine as they co-narrate this poetic memoir, which riffs on friendship, courage, self-expression, and coming of age. In the early 2000s, the roommates set off for Brooklyn to pursue their creative dreams. There, they struggled to balance family concerns and self-doubt with the desire to be recognized and make a difference. As the pair look back on their past, their voices weave in and out, coming together to emphasize pivotal words — “brothers,” “survivors,” “friends.” Most importantly, they note that “men pretend,” acknowledging how difficult it is for men to admit feeling vulnerable. Those familiar with the print book’s visuals may miss the multilayered artwork, but the intimacy and authenticity of the audiobook are remarkable on their own."