about the book
Matt’s first day of his senior year of high school is on the nineteenth day of school. But he has no energy to feel glad to have missed the first three weeks of school, or to feel happy that this is his last year of school. Everything is different this year. People who are supposed to be Matt’s friends can’t even look him in the eyes.
His mom died over the summer, and suddenly, everything just feels backwards for him.
Luckily, Matt doesn’t have to endure full days of school. He did well throughout high school, so his classes end at noon. His plan had been to work at the bank for the work-study program, but after missing the first 3 weeks, he lost his job to another student.
Matt has no choice but to find work somewhere else; his dad, a frequent whiskey consumer, can’t handle the bills on his own. And Matt is lonely enough; he can’t spend his afternoons sitting around doing nothing. He finds a job at the local funeral home, though he feels hesitant to work somewhere that will constantly remind him of his mom’s death; it’s either the funeral home or a nasty job at the Cluck Bucket that comes with the likelihood of cleaning up vomit.
Now Matt finds himself wearing a black suit everyday for his job. He makes pretty good money, so it’s all right, but everything else in his life still sucks, and he can’t handle one more piece of bad news.
Then he meets Lovely, a girl who never cries—even though she’s been through far more than Matt can understand. She catches his attention, and he begins wondering…Why can’t he be as tough as Lovely? Might she understand his loneliness? Could she help take the loneliness away?
about the author
Jason Reynolds grew up in Washington, D.C., and graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in English. He spent 65% of his time at college writing and reciting poetry all over campus.
Even though he started out as a poet, he feels more like a novelist now. In his novels, he bases his characters off of people in his life, whether they want him to or not.
He knows how to knit, but is much better at crochet.
If Jason had the opportunity to have dinner with five people, living or dead, he would choose to serve peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He believes you can tell a lot about a person from whether or not they like PB&J, even though you really can’t. He doesn’t think you can trust someone if they don’t like PB&J. So, don’t dis peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in front of him.
Jason now lives in Brooklyn, New York, where he can often be found walking the four blocks from the train to his apartment while talking to himself. The “conversations” consist of him repeating character names and plot lines that he thought of on the train. He’s afraid to forget the ideas before he gets home.
Sources:
Author website
Author biography: Simon and Schuster
Author biography: Pippin Properties
Author interview: Voya Magazine
Author video interview on Boy in the Black Suit
Also by Jason Reynolds:
All American Boys. Caitlyn Blouhy Books. 2015.
When I Was the Greatest. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2014.
read more!
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds
At the corner bodega, Rashad is mistaken for a shoplifter and beaten by a white police officer. Quinn, a white basketball player, witnesses the entire episode, which is captured on camera and displayed on the news for everyone to see. Quinn is torn by what he saw, because the officer is his best friend’s brother. As the teens tell their stories, the basketball team and the entire school are forced to takes sides in the mounting racial tension.
I Was Here by Gayle Forman
After her best friend Meg’s suicide, Cody questions what she actually knew about Meg and their relationship. On Meg’s laptop, Cody finds an encrypted file titled “The Final Solution” and an online support group for those contemplating taking their own life. Playing a dangerous cat and mouse game, Cody goes after the person who encouraged Meg to end her life. In the process, she makes some startling discoveries about her friend.
You Don’t Know Me by David Klass
John lives two lives, but mostly he lives in his head. Coping with boredom, loneliness, and fear, John is convinced no one knows him…not his sort-of-friends, not his oblivious teachers, not his father who ran off, not his absentee mother, and certainly not her live-in abusive boyfriend. Can he find just one person who sees him as he truly is?