Literature ambassador Jason Reynolds knows young people have a story of their own
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Some ambassadors handle multilateral negotiations and host elaborate events at embassies, but author Jason Reynolds spent his ambassadorship talking to young people about literature. It'll become clear why when I tell you that today, he finishes his term as the national ambassador for Young People's Literature. The Library of Congress appointed him to the post three years ago.
So, Jason, first off, previous national ambassadors for Young People's Literature served two-year terms. You're finishing up your third year. How'd you end up getting three years to do this?
JASON REYNOLDS: I asked for it. You know, I think at the end of the day, I'm a person who likes to follow through and get the job done. And because of the pandemic, I was stifled and was left dissatisfied. And so I asked the Library of Congress for one more year so I can carry out the actual platform that I had planned.
MARTÍNEZ: What kind of things did you feel that you couldn't get to in the limited two-year span that you had that made you want to ask for that third year?
REYNOLDS: The kids. I couldn't get to - I couldn't, like, actually get to them, right? Like, so I had moments where we did virtual tours for many, many schools, which was cool. But it's not the same as being in the building. And it's very important for me to create, like, these human moments with young people, and that requires physical presence. And so I would have taken a fourth year if I had to in order to ensure that I got an opportunity to do that.
MARTÍNEZ: What have your responsibilities been in this position?
REYNOLDS: My - I mean, the responsibility that's given to me in terms of the actual - like, the way that the position's laid out is just what it says - right? - to be the ambassador for reading and writing for young people in this country. The way that I decided to interpret that, though, is, how could I convince young people who may not like to read that they have a story of their own and that their story is as important as everything that their teachers and parents are trying to get them to read?
MARTÍNEZ: When kids tell you that they don't like to read, what are typically some of the reasons why?
REYNOLDS: It's boring. That is the reason why. It's boring, unless we're talking about sort of learning differences - right? - which is a very different conversation. But for the most part, young people don't like to read because it's boring and because it takes too long. By the way, I don't disagree with these things. I don't think all reading is boring, but I do think some reading is boring. And I think it's unfair for us to act like we, as adults, don't know that to be true. There are lots of kids looking for different things. I think there are some young people growing up in environments where they're desperately seeking to escape and see themselves slay the dragon. And for those young people, we have tons of books for them, right?
But I also think that there are other young folks who are just looking for a starting point, and that starting point needs to look and feel and sound and taste like them. You know, as a Black person, when I walk in a room and I spot other Black people in that room, it makes me feel safe. And after I spot those Black folk, I can see everybody much more clearly, right? I'm open in a different way, right? I think that's a - that's human - that's a human thing, and it's no different when it comes to literature.
MARTÍNEZ: So is books being boring - is that the reason why you didn't finish a book for the first time since you were - what? - 17 years old?
REYNOLDS: I mean, that's partially - (laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: What are the other reasons?
REYNOLDS: That I didn't think - that I felt like they were disconnected from my reality. I felt like books were almost, in some passive way, judging me for being who I was simply by erasing me from the canon, in and of itself. If I'm not shown or if I don't exist in a story, then that means that somebody doesn't find my life valuable enough to talk about. One book will never be enough, right? Like, we could write 500,000 books, and it still won't capture the Latinx experience - right? - which means that when we talk about diversity, it's not just diversity and creating space for Latinx communities or Black communities or LGBTQI+ communities. It's also writing diverse versions of those stories because there's so many different versions to tell, right? We're all human beings.
MARTÍNEZ: What was that first book you finished?
REYNOLDS: It was Richard Wright's "Black Boy." And the reason I finished it is because the second page of the book, young Richard Wright sets the curtains on fire and burns his grandmother's house down, which means this isn't going to be a boring book. Why should I have to wait a hundred pages to get to the good part? Richard Wright - he hooked me. And then after he hooked me, I was willing to go along for the ride.
MARTÍNEZ: I remember my first book. It was - you're going to laugh at this, but I'll admit it to you - "Animal Farm" by George Orwell.
REYNOLDS: I'm not going to laugh at that, man (laughter).
MARTÍNEZ: That thing gripped me. And I - yeah, because it had to do with animals. I love reading about animals. And so I imagined the animals. It took a while for me to understand what that book was about, but at least I read it all the way through.
REYNOLDS: Absolutely. And the feeling of completion is half the battle. Like, once you get to the end of a thing, the endorphin rush of knowing that you did it just makes you want to do it again.
MARTÍNEZ: Especially those last few chapters - when you know bedtime's coming, but you've got a few chapters to go and you just want to keep on reading until the end because you can't drop the book. You can't put it down.
REYNOLDS: Exactly.
MARTÍNEZ: We always hear about the term learning loss in schools because of the last few years with the pandemic - a very, very big problem. But in talking to you, Jason, in realizing what your role is - national ambassador for Young People's Literature - can you imagine how much reading loss there's been over the past few years?
REYNOLDS: Yeah, it's definitely something to consider, and it's a scary thing. But, you know, I'll be honest with you. As concerned as I am about reading loss and learning loss, I'm not nearly as concerned about that than I am with the loss for the desire to live. And so though I want young people to catch up, what I know is that's something that is possible, right? We can catch up on the reading loss. We can catch up on some of the deficiencies that have taken place or that may have been settling in now. But what we can't do is catch up on a young person who decides that they've just had enough, that they feel so insignificant that they're ready to hang it up. And I'm more concerned with pouring love and compassion and hope and grace and patience into young people because at the end of the day, though I love books, they're just not as important as the young people themselves.
MARTÍNEZ: Now, you're finishing up, we mentioned, your third year as national ambassador for Young People's Literature. If you could do a fourth year, Jason, or if the next person asked you for advice, what would you tell them? What would you want them to do?
REYNOLDS: I think, you know, whoever takes on this role next, all I want them to do is make sure that they understand that this is not an award, that this is a job. It's a real responsibility, which means that they have to throw themselves at it with all the fervor and love in their being to make sure that the young people of this country knows that we care, not just about whether or not they read or write, but that we care about them. Stories happen to be the most human thing we have to offer - right? - which means that the work that we're doing in storytelling is actually human work. And I just want to make sure the next person understands that as they take on the task.
MARTÍNEZ: That is Jason Reynolds, who, for the past three years, has served as the national ambassador for Young People's Literature. Jason, thanks.
REYNOLDS: I appreciate you.
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