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  • Published: 18 February 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593619063
  • Imprint: Kokila
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 432
  • RRP: $26.99

All You Have To Do





Now in paperback, a powerful, thought-provoking, and heartfelt look at what it takes (and takes and takes) for two Black students to succeed in prestigious academic institutions in America.

Now in paperback, a powerful, thought-provoking, and heartfelt look at what it takes (and takes and takes) for two Black students to succeed in prestigious academic institutions in America.

In All You Have to Do, two young Black men attend prestigious schools nearly thirty years apart, yet both navigate similar forms of insidious racism.

In April 1968, in the wake of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, Kevin joins a protest that shuts down his Ivy League campus . . .

In September 1995, amid controversy over the Million Man March, Gibran challenges the “See No Color” hypocrisy of his prestigious New England prep school . . .

As the two students, whose lives overlap in powerful ways, risk losing the opportunities their parents worked hard to provide, they move closer to discovering who they want to be instead of accepting as fact who society and family tell them they are.

  • Published: 18 February 2025
  • ISBN: 9780593619063
  • Imprint: Kokila
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 432
  • RRP: $26.99

Praise for All You Have To Do


Praise for All You Have To Do By Autumn Allen:

People Magazine's Best Books of Fall 2023
Black Caucus American Library Association Best of the Best 2023
Kirkus Review's Best Young Adult Books of 2023
2024 Texas Tayshas Reading List
NCSS-CBC 2024 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People
2024 Bank Street Best Children’s Books

“Allen constructs a vivid narrative that balances both timelines seamlessly and pointedly highlights often overlooked history. The crisp, succinct prose and fully realized characters make this a shining example of how principled research in lock step with exceptional writing creates an unforgettable reading experience. An electric debut: a must-read for all.”Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW

“Allen highlights two Black teens’ parallel struggles for racial justice, twenty-seven years apart, in this powerful debut. Through Gibran's and Kevin’s individual exploits of equality and accountability, fully fleshed-out characters, and skillfully cultivated narrative tension, Allen creates a layered debut that is timely and resonant.”Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

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