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When I Was the Greatest
- Narrated by: JB Adkins
- Length: 6 hrs and 3 mins
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When I Was the Greatest
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Summary
In Bed Stuy, New York, a small misunderstanding can escalate into having a price on your head - even if you’re totally clean. This gritty, triumphant debut captures the heart and the hardship of life for an urban teen.
A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don’t really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.
Nah, not his thing. Ali’s got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there’s a dude looking for trouble - and, somehow, it’s always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy’s gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it’s all small potatoes; it’s not like anyone’s getting hurt.
And then there’s Needles. Needles is Noodles’s brother. He’s got a syndrome, and gets these ticks and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It’s cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn’t mean anything by it.
Yeah, it’s cool…until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be...somewhere they never should've been - where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.
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What listeners say about When I Was the Greatest
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dr Cheryl Diane Parkinson
- 17-11-22
A fast and full novel.
I loved this! A slow start but soon picked up pace! Soon had me sitting on the edge of my seat! An exciting book. Loved thr sibling relationship with the protagonist. The way they love each other is so endearing. Fantastic nick names... reminds me of many Jamaicans who find a nick name for everyone. lol
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- tarafarah7: Tara Brown
- 27-10-17
Outstanding!!!
When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds, narrated by JB Adkins is absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend it to...well, everyone! In fact, I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend it to. It's so good! I teach high school in an urban setting, so I am often drawn to books that either remind me of my students in some way, or present an opportunity for me to learn more about the lives of my students. Not to mention, Jason Reynolds is a celebrity in our classroom! We LOVE his work! He is a brilliant author who has the amazing ability of grabbing your attention right from the start and not letting go! Though the situations may not always be pleasant (because, face it, real life isn't always pleasant), the themes and messages that come across stick with you long after the last page.
This audiobook about family, brotherhood, loyalty, sacrifice, doing what's right,...I could go on and on!!....is flawlessly narrated. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to JB Adkins. I couldn't imagine a more perfect voice for this book! The pace, tone, volume, and inflection were right on. Outstanding job!
Overall, I give this audiobook a well-deserved 5/5 stars! I feel listening to it was even better than reading it, which is also awesome. If you haven't read or listened to any books by Jason Reynolds, you are missing out! Do yourself a favor and get one, any of them. They are all engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking. On that note, I'm off to listen to his new release, Long Way Down, which I'm positive is going to be just as great as this one!!
Thank you for reading my review. I hope it was helpful. :-)
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Rebecca
- 14-12-18
Good Story But...
I just personally prefer more of Reynolds narrative poetic works like "Long Way Down". Don't get me wrong, it was far from terrible, and Reynolds himself seems like a person I could have deep, woke conversations with. (Even my professor confessed he was low key gay for the dude and said his wife doesn't blame him 😂). But yeah getting back to the book, I just took it as another story about black teens in the hood. It seems to be his motif, I think Reynolds himself said he came from a similar background which makes sense. It isn't really a bad thing, but at the same time it's been done already so many times. "The Skin I'm In" by Sharon G. Flake for example, "Monster" by Christopher & Walter Dean Myers, and a bajillion more. It just didn't stick out as much.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- devon
- 09-09-15
loved it
good story fantastic memorable interesting nice amazing cool terrific sad and overwhelming and favorite story
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- John
- 28-02-15
I love this book
On the recommendation of a friend, I bought this book without expecting that much, since contemporary fiction isn't really my thing. this absolutely blew me away. This raw and gritty coming of age story was so moving I'm still digesting it days later. Easily the best book I've read this yeat.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 08-05-18
Great audio, book not Reynolds' best
The audio was fantastic. The book is good but a little lacking in plot, especially compared to the greatness of Reynold's other books.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Vincente’ Estrada
- 18-01-23
Good book
One of my favorite Jason Reynolds books. This is all my first audio book and I can say it was a great choice.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael Pedersen
- 04-03-22
A Stirring, Young Boys Perspective of Growing Up
Touching story of a day in the life. I’m a white man who grew up outside a big city but realized, as I was listening, I had many of the same experiences as Ali, just different situations. We all good!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Yulil Alonso-Garza
- 25-10-21
A must read for boys!
Absolutely loved this novel because it is both entertaining and informative regarding turrets syndrome. Also a great story about defending those who can't defend themselves. I'm sure not just boys will enjoy this novel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- F. C.
- 17-03-20
This book was amazing
I Loved it so much 😂❤
it was too relatable 😂
omg it was surreal 👍🏾
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Deridra Burden
- 19-09-19
Awesome
Impowering Jason Reynolds . He never disappoints. He makes African American boys just like everyone else
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