When I Was the Greatest, Jason Reynolds
When I Was the Greatest, Jason Reynolds
3 Rating(s)
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When I Was the Greatest

Author: Jason Reynolds

Narrator: JB Adkins

Unabridged: 9 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/08/2014


Synopsis

In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head—even if you’re totally clean. This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.

A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don’t really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.

Nah, not his thing. Ali’s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there’s a dude looking for trouble—and, somehow, it’s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy’s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it’s all small potatoes; it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt.

And then there’s Needles. Needles is Noodles’s brother. He’s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It’s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn’t mean anything by it.

Yeah, it’s cool…until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be…somewhere they never should've been—where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.

About The Author

Jason Reynolds is crazy. About stories.After earning a BA in English from The University of Maryland, College Park, he moved to Brooklyn, New York, where you can often find him walking the four blocks from the train to his apartment talking to himself. Well, not really talking to himself, but just repeating character names and plot lines he thought of on the train, over and over again, because he’s afraid he’ll forget it all before he gets home. When I Was the Greatest is his debut novel. You can find his ramblings at IAmJasonReynolds.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Steph

If you are looking for an audiobook that features a diverse group of characters and awesome narrator, this is it! When I Was the Greatest was a pleasant surprise for me. It was real and honest and made me remember my own childhood. It's always nice to be able to see yourself in literature, and since......more

Goodreads review by Hannah

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend. Jason Reynolds made his debut with this moving story of fifteen-year-old Ali Brooks, a boy on the cusp of being a man. Ali's voice is as authentic as they come. He's a character who radiates extreme likability.......more