First published 2018
Jason Reynolds stands before audiences at the Kennedy Center and beyond, delivering words that cut straight to the heart of what it means to dream. He speaks directly to young people who wonder if their aspirations matter, who have watched dreams crumble around them, who fear hoping for something better. Reynolds admits he once expected success at sixteen, then eighteen, then twenty five. Some goals materialized while others still wait ahead. He tells kids that dreams demand time and countless battles. Dreamers get knocked down repeatedly, yet something inside refuses to die. The passion flickers but never goes out completely. Having the dream itself becomes the essential first step, the foundation for everything that follows. Without it, you go nowhere. That moment arrives when you must leap into the unknown. Reynolds transforms his own ongoing struggle into a rallying cry, reminding every listener that the capacity to dream lives within them, waiting to be awakened.
Genres: african-american, biography-memoir, 21st-century, inspirational
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: overcoming-adversity, personal-journey
Setting: Kennedy Center
102 pages · Hardcover · Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books