My Name Is Jason. Mine Too.: Our Story. Our Way.
- Downloads：3437
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-19 01:21:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jason Reynolds
- ISBN：1534478221
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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？
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？
Reviews
Gretchen
，
I admit it。 I have a huge author crush on Jason Reynolds！ So when I see his name on a book， I'm ready to read it immediately。 In learning about him from other sources I know that this book was actually the first one that he published and at the time （2009） it didn't get much attention。 While it is a series of poems mixed with artwork from his friend and roommate at the time， Jason， the former is more off-kilter than just poetry with artwork on the pages。 At times it is artwork mixed with poetry I admit it。 I have a huge author crush on Jason Reynolds！ So when I see his name on a book， I'm ready to read it immediately。 In learning about him from other sources I know that this book was actually the first one that he published and at the time （2009） it didn't get much attention。 While it is a series of poems mixed with artwork from his friend and roommate at the time， Jason， the former is more off-kilter than just poetry with artwork on the pages。 At times it is artwork mixed with poetry making both the artistic statement。 There were a few poems I really enjoyed and I'm glad I read but overall this book is not really my style。 What I will use it for in class though， is to show students another format a book can take to express the author's feelings and style。 I want my students to see just how many different ways a book can be written to open up their creativity and experiences。 。。。more
Cherlynn （cherreading）
，
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 times。 Such an incredible journey the two of them have been on and I'm glad to have been privy to it through this book。 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 times。 Such an incredible journey the two of them have been on and I'm glad to have been privy to it through this book。 。。。more
Amelia
，
A loud， proud smattering of poetry and artwork， the two Jasons have created an artifact meant for younger audiences。 Somewhat autobiographical in nature， this weaves truth and art in a way I have not often seen。 I wish there was a little more poetry--I do tend to fall on the literary side of things--but the art was so incredibly vibrant and different and each page offered an entirely unsame style as the one before。
Amy Lively
，
Another visually stunning collaboration between the two longtime friends， Jason Reynolds （writer） and Jason Griffin （artist。） They added just enough biographical information about their lives when they were barely out of their teens and just went for it and moved to New York （fried tuna！）， and then reflected on that 20 years later。 There is much inspiration in here for the young writer or artist， but also for a human of any age who wants to forge a different path。 I love how their words and imag Another visually stunning collaboration between the two longtime friends， Jason Reynolds （writer） and Jason Griffin （artist。） They added just enough biographical information about their lives when they were barely out of their teens and just went for it and moved to New York （fried tuna！）， and then reflected on that 20 years later。 There is much inspiration in here for the young writer or artist， but also for a human of any age who wants to forge a different path。 I love how their words and images play off of each other。 These words stuck with me the most。。。Because it's justSo hardTo explain to peopleThat my life Is not unhardBut not unhappy 。。。more
Laura Beam
，
It was really interesting to read this after reading Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin's newer collaboration。 Though I thought the art in this book was amazing and the poems were good， it did not have the cohesion of their newer collaboration。 I could also really see the growth of Jason Reynolds as an artist。 This book was written 20 years ago （his first book） and you can tell that he was young when he wrote it。 It was still really cool to see this earlier part of his evolution as an author。 He h It was really interesting to read this after reading Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin's newer collaboration。 Though I thought the art in this book was amazing and the poems were good， it did not have the cohesion of their newer collaboration。 I could also really see the growth of Jason Reynolds as an artist。 This book was written 20 years ago （his first book） and you can tell that he was young when he wrote it。 It was still really cool to see this earlier part of his evolution as an author。 He has now written 19 books and is a very different artist than he was when he wrote this。 I think the true winner of this book was the obvious deep friendship of the two Jasons which was apparent throughout and within their look back interview that they wrote about their thoughts on 20 years later。 。。。more
Melissa ~ Missy （FrayedBooks）
，
Review to come！ Frayed Books - blog | twitter | bookstagram | fb Review to come！ Frayed Books - blog | twitter | bookstagram | fb 。。。more
Sharon
，
I really enjoyed this audio book read by the authors， which added a great element to their words。 A quick listen， I enjoyed it twice！
Kiara
，
3。5/5 Thank you giving us some insight in pursuing y’all’s passions。 Nothing worth having is easy but it’s beautiful to see people pursue their dreams regardless of the set backs。
♥ Sandi ❣t
，
5 starsI love Jason Reynolds。 I love everything Reynolds does。 I know he writes mostly for teens， and they may have something on me because I often find myself thinking about his writing days later and wondering。。。 "exactly what did that mean？" Jason Griffin， Reynolds college roommate， is a bit newer to me。 He is the drawer， the picture painter to Reynolds poetry writing。 As he so often does， Reynolds writes this book in poetry。 In this book he writes the poetry that his best friend - aka 'broth 5 starsI love Jason Reynolds。 I love everything Reynolds does。 I know he writes mostly for teens， and they may have something on me because I often find myself thinking about his writing days later and wondering。。。 "exactly what did that mean？" Jason Griffin， Reynolds college roommate， is a bit newer to me。 He is the drawer， the picture painter to Reynolds poetry writing。 As he so often does， Reynolds writes this book in poetry。 In this book he writes the poetry that his best friend - aka 'brother' - puts his art to。 Unless the whole book is one long poem like Long Way Down - which is probably my very favorite Reynolds book - I like to read only a few pages a day so I can try to get the most from his poetry。 This book contained some pretty simple work， but mixed in were some poems that I wanted to think about， ruminate on。 This book appeared to be written when both Reynolds and Griffin were down and out - 25 years ago - just moved to New York， full of ambition， artists expecting to take the city by the tail。 They worked hard - starved， had problems paying rent and didn't give up。 Now here they are today， putting pictures to words and giving us their life story from back then。 。。。more
Alexis
，
I really enjoyed this collaboration。 The combination of art and poetry is beautiful。 It’s chaotic and wonderful and the journey of their friendship， their bromance， is pretty cool。 You can feel the connection they share。 Thank you Harper Teen and NetGalley for an early copy。
Gail
，
What a great combo of art and poetry between two long time friends。
mytaakeonit
，
Perfect。
Raven Black
，
You will love this work of art。 Or not。 There will be no in between。 The art styles of both artists come together and are overlapping， individually and side-by-side。 The mixed media has ugly， beauty， and both at the same time。 The poetry flows， jumps， and creates feelings that the collages and other images support。 Both are separate and one。 It is a creation that cannot be rushed， must be carefully viewed and repeated。
Meliss
，
Fantastic。 Jason Reynolds can do no wrong。
Bethany
，
Very avant-garde。 Very vague。However， as a commentary on how similar Black folks and white folks are， it’s great。 You never know if the speaker is Jason Reynold or Jason Griffin， and that speaks volumes to the argument that there is no difference between black and white: we all have dreams and passions， we all need to eat and pay the rent。 We all have mothers whom we love。 We all need a good friend to fall back on when times are tough。
Tim
，
What a splendid mix of poetry and graphics。 Perfect example of visual poetry if I've ever seen it。I love how Jason Reynolds writes。 He has such a command of voice and what a poem needs to do in the small space each is gathered。 I loved the story of Jasons Griffins and Reynolds collaboration told through a unique medium。I would read another。 What a splendid mix of poetry and graphics。 Perfect example of visual poetry if I've ever seen it。I love how Jason Reynolds writes。 He has such a command of voice and what a poem needs to do in the small space each is gathered。 I loved the story of Jasons Griffins and Reynolds collaboration told through a unique medium。I would read another。 。。。more
Kristen
，
Edelweiss+ provided me a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Look。 I'll read anything Jason Reynolds does。 Narrative fiction？ Yes。 Verse novel？ Absolutely。 Historical nonfiction？ Sign me up。After the poetry/modern art mashup that was Ain't Burned All the Bright， I was excited to get to know these two artists a little bit in this one。。。but that's not REALLY what this is。 There is a little poem-in-two-voices at the beginning that addresses their longtime friendship and their struggle Edelweiss+ provided me a DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review。Look。 I'll read anything Jason Reynolds does。 Narrative fiction？ Yes。 Verse novel？ Absolutely。 Historical nonfiction？ Sign me up。After the poetry/modern art mashup that was Ain't Burned All the Bright， I was excited to get to know these two artists a little bit in this one。。。but that's not REALLY what this is。 There is a little poem-in-two-voices at the beginning that addresses their longtime friendship and their struggles as young artists in New York City， but this is really more of an illustrated poetry collection。While some of the poems are clearly autobiographical， it's clear that most these are pieces that Reynolds wrote when the two were starving roommates--and Griffin has now accentuated them with his art。Now。。。I'm no art critic。 I don't always "get" what Griffin is trying to do with some of his illustrations。。。but they are definitely evocative--especially when paired with Reynold's powerful words。 。。。more
Mr。 Armstrong
，
Thud。
Christi Flaker
，
I picked this up after reading and loving the duos latest collaboration， Ain't Burned All the Bright。A mash-up of art and poetry on various topics and themes。 Some clear cut， some took a few read throughs。 Some I connected with some not meant for me。 Enjoyable work of art and quick read even with going through some poems several times。 Will revisit again before returning to the library。 I picked this up after reading and loving the duos latest collaboration， Ain't Burned All the Bright。A mash-up of art and poetry on various topics and themes。 Some clear cut， some took a few read throughs。 Some I connected with some not meant for me。 Enjoyable work of art and quick read even with going through some poems several times。 Will revisit again before returning to the library。 。。。more
Brad
，
Ambition and hope in Brooklyn。 Not enough specificity to tether the poems to the reader's experiences。 This seems more about the process than the product。 Ambition and hope in Brooklyn。 Not enough specificity to tether the poems to the reader's experiences。 This seems more about the process than the product。 。。。more
Rachel
，
Hard to rate this one because I loved the back story so much- and the love between these guys… some of the poems caught me and some of the collage… but I just read their other collaboration two days ago and loved it sooooo much that this didn’t compare-
Sherry
，
Fans of Jason Reynolds won't want to miss this。 Currently out of print and challenging to find （thank you， eBay！） I hear it's being re-released this summer！ Fans of Jason Reynolds won't want to miss this。 Currently out of print and challenging to find （thank you， eBay！） I hear it's being re-released this summer！ 。。。more
Jennifer
，
Jason and Jason collaborate to make a book of art and poetry。 Very interesting and I think kids would enjoy seeing the beginnings of a favorite author。。。 I know I did。 Also they have come together again to do Jason's newest book， Ain't Burned All the Bright。 Really looking forward to that！ Jason and Jason collaborate to make a book of art and poetry。 Very interesting and I think kids would enjoy seeing the beginnings of a favorite author。。。 I know I did。 Also they have come together again to do Jason's newest book， Ain't Burned All the Bright。 Really looking forward to that！ 。。。more
Brad McKenna
，
The first collaboration between the Jasons "only" gets 4 stars from me because I read it after their latest collab， Ain't Burned All the Bright， first。 This one is much shorter than the other。 But still has the same widely diverse artistic style。 Some of Griffin's artwork I don't much care for while other pieces I'm in awe of。 Reynold's poems are also widely varied stylistically but they pretty much all work for me。 But I'm more of a written art lover than a visual art lover。 Here are a couple o The first collaboration between the Jasons "only" gets 4 stars from me because I read it after their latest collab， Ain't Burned All the Bright， first。 This one is much shorter than the other。 But still has the same widely diverse artistic style。 Some of Griffin's artwork I don't much care for while other pieces I'm in awe of。 Reynold's poems are also widely varied stylistically but they pretty much all work for me。 But I'm more of a written art lover than a visual art lover。 Here are a couple of verses that I especially liked （There are no page numbers）: We'll create a piece of artTo bring forth a peace of heartAnd tell grandparentsWith hate-strained memoriesTo hold on to hope For healing can happenBefore heaven。 ----Seems like sickbedsBecome signalsTo selfish sonsSayingTrouble don't last alwaysNot do mothers。----Good stuff！ 。。。more
Kate Ringer
，
It's always interesting to look at the first work of an author as accomplished as Jason Reynolds， and this work was particularly enjoyable because of all of the ways it falls into the cliches and truths of the early life of an artist。 The moving to New York， living without two nickels to rub together， the dreaming。 This work had the added bonus of championing friendship。 I think I liked Reynolds's and Griffin's latest work better， but this one was just fun， and since it's a collection of poetry It's always interesting to look at the first work of an author as accomplished as Jason Reynolds， and this work was particularly enjoyable because of all of the ways it falls into the cliches and truths of the early life of an artist。 The moving to New York， living without two nickels to rub together， the dreaming。 This work had the added bonus of championing friendship。 I think I liked Reynolds's and Griffin's latest work better， but this one was just fun， and since it's a collection of poetry instead of one long poem， it would definitely be easier to teach。 I particularly enjoyed "Men Pretend" and "An Artist。" The art throughout was so deliciously of the aughts that it could only make me smile。 。。。more
Lisa Welch
，
A short collaboration of poetry and art。
Jennifer
，
I read an e-galley of this book and while they are usually very well put together， this one was not and it makes it very difficult to write a review。 I'm not even sure of what I read because there were words missing， sentences so mixed up that i didn't know who was speaking， artwork was chopped into pieces so I couldn't take it all in。 There were even a few pages that were upside down， and this being a book about art （among other things）， I didn't know if that was intentional or not。 Perhaps whe I read an e-galley of this book and while they are usually very well put together， this one was not and it makes it very difficult to write a review。 I'm not even sure of what I read because there were words missing， sentences so mixed up that i didn't know who was speaking， artwork was chopped into pieces so I couldn't take it all in。 There were even a few pages that were upside down， and this being a book about art （among other things）， I didn't know if that was intentional or not。 Perhaps when the finished book comes out I'll be able to look at it again and give it a final review。 。。。more
TheNextGenLibrarian
，
Two artists expressing themselves through art and poetry。 Beautiful。“Men pretend。 Men don’t cry。 Or write poetryOr paintOr danceOr hugOr kissOr likeOr loveOr listenI hear。”
Sarah
，
EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus This collection of illustrated poems tells a story that begs to be discussed by high school students。 It’s a great book club or small group choice。 Do not miss！
Mary Foxe
，