All You Have To Do
1968. Kevin is an African American student at Columbia in New York City, struggling to find his place in the civil rights movement. The university is hostile to all protesting by its students, and several organizations talk about taking over university buildings through a sit-in. Kevin isn’t sure this will change anything, but he agrees to participate.
1995. Gibran (Kevin’s nephew) is a student at an elite private high school. He wants to attend the upcoming Million Man March, but his mother won’t let him, and his school rejects its Black students’ request to participate in the Day of Absence. Gibran feels an urgency to do something, but all his actions so far have either been ignored or misunderstood.
The first-person narrations of Kevin and Gibran are nearly identical. Although almost thirty years apart, their experiences of being a Black man in America are similar, as are their reactions. They both feel frustration and rage and have a similar do-something, make-a-difference, but-how attitude. Although sometimes hard to tell which narrator is speaking, this duality makes a strong point: Not much changed from 1968 to 1995. One can’t help but ask: has much changed in the nearly thirty years since 1995?
Allen does a superb job of bringing these and other characters to life, as well as the worlds they live in. The fashion, the music, and the slang of each time period remind the reader when they are. The many opinions about the civil rights leaders of both settings are given thorough coverage. The depiction of the important but little-taught protests at Columbia will keep readers in suspense. Recommended. Ages 12 and up.
