Review: When I Was the Greatest

When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I freaking loved this book! I listened to the audio book

This is possibly one of the rawest books I have ever read. It is told from the perspective of a teenage boy growing up in Brooklyn, New York. Ali, his sister and mother live together in an old brownstone building. Next door a new family moves into what used to be a run down house. The two boys that live there become good friends with Ali. Noodles quickly becomes Ali's best friend. Needles had Tourette's and he gets his nickname from learning to knit from Ali's mother.

Noodles starts to get under Ali's skin when he pulls his tough guy act and treats his brother badly on many occasions while they are out and about. It all comes to a head when the boys get invited to an adult party, a MoMo party. Noodles gets into a fight and his brother needles tries to help. Needles is the one who gets badly beaten and Noodles hides. Ali ends up rescuing Needles from the three adults that are about to kill him.

Everything comes to a head and Noodles finds himself as an outcast. Ali is done with him and so is his brother Needles. After a breakdown from Needles, Noodles has a breakdown himself because he feels so bad for the way he has treated his brother. They make up and things start to get better.

This book just has so many elements to it. All in all it was amazing story about a boy who is becoming a man and dealing with what life throws are people

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