1
Research an Author
Brittany Sansoussi
Grand Canyon University
ENG-130: Introduction into Young Adult Fiction
Professor Derek Cummings
December 15, 2024
, 2
Research an Author
When you hear about the genre “Young Adult Fiction”, what authors comes to mind first?
Maybe you think of authors like J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, or perhaps Sara J. Maas. One
author that you may not hear of as often might be Jason Reynolds. Raised in Maryland,
Reynolds uses his experience and inspiration from rap and poetry to create his books. Known for
some of his best-selling novels “Long Way Down” and “Ghost” among others, Reynolds uses
his experiences from his childhood to help mold his novels into ones that young adults can relate
too. Over the years Reynolds has earned many awards for his work as well.
Reynolds was born in Washington, D.C. in 1983. Shortly after, he moved to Oxon Hill,
Maryland where he spent his childhood. Around the age of 9, Reynolds began to write poetry.
He gained most of his inspiration for his poetry by listening primarily to lyrics from rap music
and artists like Queen Latifah. Being raised in a poor black community, Reynolds struggled to
find books that related to his upbringing, prompting him to give up reading completely, that
eventually changed during his high school career where he eventually read his first book.
Reynolds stayed very focused on writing his own poetry and that continued well into his college
career. Once he made it into college he worked for a bookstore that featured African-American
authors like Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison (Hibler &
Lake 2024). Authors, like the ones mentioned, prompted much of his writing in the following
years.
Known largely for his novel “Long Way Down”, a story that centers on a boy who
must choose between ending the cycle of violence and taking revenge for his brother's death in
order to adhere to his community's social code. Reynolds also had great success with his track
series, including Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), and Lu (2018), the series follows
a group
Research an Author
Brittany Sansoussi
Grand Canyon University
ENG-130: Introduction into Young Adult Fiction
Professor Derek Cummings
December 15, 2024
, 2
Research an Author
When you hear about the genre “Young Adult Fiction”, what authors comes to mind first?
Maybe you think of authors like J.K. Rowling, Stephanie Meyer, or perhaps Sara J. Maas. One
author that you may not hear of as often might be Jason Reynolds. Raised in Maryland,
Reynolds uses his experience and inspiration from rap and poetry to create his books. Known for
some of his best-selling novels “Long Way Down” and “Ghost” among others, Reynolds uses
his experiences from his childhood to help mold his novels into ones that young adults can relate
too. Over the years Reynolds has earned many awards for his work as well.
Reynolds was born in Washington, D.C. in 1983. Shortly after, he moved to Oxon Hill,
Maryland where he spent his childhood. Around the age of 9, Reynolds began to write poetry.
He gained most of his inspiration for his poetry by listening primarily to lyrics from rap music
and artists like Queen Latifah. Being raised in a poor black community, Reynolds struggled to
find books that related to his upbringing, prompting him to give up reading completely, that
eventually changed during his high school career where he eventually read his first book.
Reynolds stayed very focused on writing his own poetry and that continued well into his college
career. Once he made it into college he worked for a bookstore that featured African-American
authors like Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison (Hibler &
Lake 2024). Authors, like the ones mentioned, prompted much of his writing in the following
years.
Known largely for his novel “Long Way Down”, a story that centers on a boy who
must choose between ending the cycle of violence and taking revenge for his brother's death in
order to adhere to his community's social code. Reynolds also had great success with his track
series, including Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), and Lu (2018), the series follows
a group
