I think this would be the perfect text to read for anyone going through a transition time. Middle to high school, hight school to college, etc. it's inspirational, but also makes it okay to not be where you thought you'd be at certain points in your life. Not being where you thought you would be, doesn't make you a failure or mean that you haven't accomplished anything. It encourages you to keep dreaming and to keep pursuing dreams!

Four stars. I love the way Jason Reynolds writes and holds his own. This letter/poem was inspiring and empowering.

This book is a letter and poem, like the title says, for everyone. Everyone feels alone and in need of encouragement from time to time. And while there are no quick and easy answers, it helps to know that others feel the same way. This could definitely be a great pick-me-up for anyone that feels discouraged or a way to initiate a terrific conversation.

This is poem. And a letter. And something that everyone--EVERYONE--needs to read.

Let's be honest--Jason Reynolds could publish his grocery list and I would read it (and probably give it 5 stars). This was something different, though. It's a not a narrative novel, it's not a verse novel. It's a lyrical letter full of ruminations on dreams and failure, full of honesty and encouragement. It's something that I think every one of my students needs to hear. Multiple times. This would be a great read at the beginning of the year, or during a Civil Rights unit, or just on a Tuesday in April when the kids need a little motivation.

I can't quote from an ARC because things may change in the final copy, but I couldn't choose a quote if I tried. Even the simplest sentences and phrases here seem profound, and I could read the entire letter countless times and still feel inspired.

Again; Jason Reynolds does it again. What writer can effortlessly move between genres and still maintain a level of consistency with which readers can identify no matter their background and life experiences?! This book is a shining example of why Jason Reynolds is, and always will be, one of my favorite authors.

This book is a letter written in poetry to “The Dreamers.” Jason Reynolds begins the book by giving the background of this piece, then immediately diving into an approximately 100 page poem that plays with spacing, format, and font. It is a love letter written by someone chasing their dreams, encouraging others to do the same. It is beautifully written, with such vivid imagery that I felt like I could see my own dreams running ahead of me, calling to me to be chased. For Every One reminded me of my own dreams, hopes, and fears, and left me inspired “jump anyway.”

Here is just one of my favorite poems from this title:

“Dreams don’t have timelines,
Deadlines,
And aren’t always in
Straight lines.”

This was a very quick and empowering read. It would make a fantastic inspirational gift for a graduation, new baby, or just for a friend who needs a pick-me-up. It is perfect for school and public libraries, and I plan to add several copies to my own shelves as soon as it is released.

This poem/letter came along at exactly the time I needed to read it. I had been through a rough few weeks, and this was just… everything I needed to keep me going. (Once again, Jason Reynolds saves the day.) But seriously, this was a fantastic poem I think everyone would benefit from reading. Reynolds’s poetry is so measured and thoughtful. His language has a way of evoking real emotions. By the second “chapter,” I was crying uncontrollably because these words hit me so close to home. For Every One is a love letter to dreamers of all ages, the kind of book you hold tight and return to when things look bleak. The overriding theme is: keep going. keep going. keep going. I can’t wait to buy this for all of my friends as graduation gifts this year. Seriously, this one is a must-read.

I am so in love with this book!! I have two teenage children and I have already decided that I am going to buy a copy of this for each of them. Encouragement to never give up on your dreams, no matter your age. Jason Reynolds is a master writer. I absolutely love this.

Jason Reynolds speaks to and for a generation of young people that are really trying to find themselves and set a pace for their life race. I truly enjoy his forwardness in his writing and his willingness to allow the reader to make their decision. while digesting the words just read. Keeping the Gregory, Gil Scott Heron, Baldwin, Baraka power in words movement alive. Keep flowing Mr. Reynolds.

Beautifully written book of poetry on an issue that continues to be important to hear/read. Bottom line (spoiler) - live your dreams. Jason Reynolds is a much needed voice in this world.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

My first and certainly not my last Jason Reynolds write-up as he has done some good stuff I have yet to read--this is verse in the form of self-introspection, reach, dream, the old Bo Jackson Just Do It Nike campaign and see what happens. Jump. Reynolds has the pulse of youth and urban youth alike, for everyone?, and can engage them with the message without preaching and saying look I don't have all the answers. You do. Jump. Soar. Fly. And be more.

Beautiful and uplifting and hard to stop reading. So quick, but so solid.

** spoiler alert ** My hope for the world is that everyone read and love the works of Jason Reynolds. With each book he pens, my heart falls more in love with his words.

This is amazing in it's simplicity. It speaks to each of us, all of us.


For Everyone by Jason Reynolds

The truth is our dreams could be
As far away as forever
Or as close as lunchtime



One thing I am now certain of
Is that this
road less traveled has
in fact been
traveled by
more suckers
than you think





there is nothing scarier than nothing



Sure,
I know my dream
is a real
as my hands
but I grip tight
a short leash
with insecurity
tied to the end

wagging along
beside me.



Dreams don’t have timelines,
Deadlines,
And aren’t always in
Straight lines.
 


Your dream …
It’s the thing that makes
you special,
Not the thing that makes
you great
The courage in trying,
The passion in living,
And the acknowledgement
And appreciation of
The beauty happening around
You does that.

I can't wait to share this with my kiddos. They already love Jason Reynolds, and For Every One doesn't disappoint. As a short work of poetry, For Every One is quite literally for everyone.

I will definitely be buying multiple copies for my class library. Can't wait for this to be on sale!

Jason Reynolds does it again. This short work of poetry is truly, for every one. I would definitely read this out loud to my students if I were still in the English classroom. I love that Reynolds delivers his positive message without prescribing a method for achievement.

This book hits home. Makes everyone's dreams seem real. Maybe attainable, maybe not - having the dream is what is important.

What can I say? I just got the arc copy and had to put everything aside to read it as I recently finished "Long Way Down" also by Jason Reynolds. Twenty minutes later and all I want to do is read it again, and again, and call people I think would want to or need to read this book.

Author Jason Reynolds has a talent to convey a massive amount of meaning in a minimalist form. His prose has you alongside the narrator or characters immediately, feeling, thinking, enveloping all of your senses.

"For Every One" speaks to each of us individually by identifying the common feelings, emotions, and experiences with out naming them specifically. Hopefully, readers will feel the fire, the life-force that nearly leaps off the page and use it to rekindle their passion for something they once or currently dream of.

My favorite page is actually before the book even begins... You will know it when you see it. This book is meant to be passed on and shared.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy. All opinions are my own.

Bitter, well intending, keeping-it-real time clock punchers can't keep their opinions about dreamers to themselves; they deflate and defeat ...and Jason Reynolds steps up and defends.
In his soon to be released book, For Every One, Jason Reynolds is honest about the struggles and the anxieties of a dreamer, sharing his own self doubts. He's honest, however, he feeds the spirit of each hungry dreamer with encouragement to keep climbing, keep chasing, keep clinging--Don't deny the dream. Powerful.

This is a fast read with all the feels of remembering and renewing one's passion and purpose... because every one of us has a dream-- either being followed or being forgotten.

Reynolds new book is a letter to all dreamers reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Make Good Art.

This poem is uplifting and hopeful, all the while being realistic. Jason Reynolds is a treasure.

Wonderfully short and simple! I heard Jason Reynolds describe this book as being what he considers a gift-book—one given to graduates and passed along from person to person, and I would agree that For Every One is just that. It is a book of encouragement from a fellow struggler in the game of life—and it is beautiful!