A review by shirleytupperfreeman
When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds

Even though I think author Jason Reynolds is amazing, I avoided this young adult book primarily because of the cover. But it turns out one shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. This is a well done coming-of-age story about three urban black teens. Narrator Ali is 15 and not really into the drugs and violence that some in the neighborhood are into. He and his sister and mother befriend two brothers that move into the run-down building next door. One of the brothers has Tourette's Syndrome and the other brother has some issues of his own. At the beginning of the novel, Ali is fairly timid but has a chance to prove himself and do some growing up in the process. For those who don't like the cover, know that knitting (not crocheting) figures prominently and guns not so much.