Reading Group Guide

All the Noise at Once

By DeAndra Davis

About the Book

All Aiden wants is to play football with his older brother, Brandon, but he knows his autism will set him apart in some teammates’ eyes. When a fight breaks out after a game, police are called, and Brandon is wrongly arrested. As the situation with the police worsens, Aiden must find someone who was there that night to help clear his brother’s name, before the brothers’ lives are changed forever.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the noise Aiden experiences? Is he the only one who hears it? How is his perception of “noise” unsettling, and what are some of the instinctive behaviors and learned skills he uses to regain his composure?

2. Which of the novel’s characters prove themselves as champions for Aiden’s self-advocacy and confidence? How do they show this throughout the football season? Which characters are adversarial to Aiden in these areas, and how do you know?

3. Consider how Aiden views his brother, Brandon. At the beginning of the novel, he thinks about all the negativity and noise jostling around in his own brain, but how “Brandon never hears it. All he sees in me are the bright spots.” (Chapter one) Discuss other examples of the ways Brandon helps Aiden see his own bright spots. Consider creating a list of your own bright spots to remind yourself on tough days.

4. Consider Aiden’s and Isabella’s Life Skills class. In what ways does Aiden’s opinion of the class change over the course of the football season? How do Ms. Findley’s assignments and exercises play a role in his progression?

5. Discuss the ways in which Aiden notices how Isabella is different from other classmates, even ones he’s known for years. Which of Isabella’s characteristics and behaviors prove comforting to Aiden? How do Isabella and Aiden give support to each other?

6. On numerous occasions in the novel, Aiden makes mental “notes” to himself. He applies these notes in a variety of ways to build understanding of the world around him. Discuss two or three notes that help the reader understand Aiden’s thoughts or emotions in a particular moment or situation.

7. Consider the team, especially Gregory, Carter, Reg, Bernard, and Louis: How are these characters different from one another? Aiden observes that “something about their behavior seems as though it is teetering somewhere between friendship and rivalry. Somewhere between friend and foe.” (Chapter five) Provide examples of how his teammates align with this observation, and discuss how you think that plays out in the aftermath of “the incident.”

8. After an encounter with a local police officer, Brandon says to Aiden, “‘we important to someone who’s important to them,’” making them important. (Chapter four) How does that sentiment repeat or contradict itself later in the novel? Consider the several interactions Aiden and Brandon have with police officers in the book. Did police officers treat Brandon and Aiden differently depending on the circumstances? Discuss as a class why you believe this is true or false.

9. Without including the title of chapter six as “The Incident,” identify different elements of Aiden’s descriptions of the team and Randy’s diner that lets readers know tension was high and Aiden was feeling “off” even before the fight.

10. How does Aiden react to Brandon’s new position of vulnerability after the arrest? Can you identify an event that signaled a shift in the balance of supporting roles between the two brothers? Discuss how a shift of their roles was meaningful for their relationship.

11. One of Aiden’s Life Skills projects is to interview, get, and maintain an after-school job. He’s apprehensive and realizes that his job at the library will be the first time someone will be placing “an obligation in front of me without some expectation of needing to assist me with it.” (Chapter ten) How does this expectation make Aiden feel? Have you ever had a job, and if so, how did you feel during the application and interview process? How did you feel when you first started? If you haven’t had a job yet, what are you most nervous or excited about?

12. How does the theme of self-advocacy and empowerment change for characters in the book? Choose a character and explain how they use their empowerment to resist opposition and support other characters.

13. How does Aiden allow peer pressure, or his perceived expectations of others, to play a role in his decisions?

14. How does the author address racial bias and racial violence in different scenarios? How do students, parents, and police respond to racism throughout the novel? How, if at all, does racial bias play a part in the actions of Brandon’s teammates? His coaches?

15. What did Aiden’s parents mean by teaching their sons “comply” and “get home alive”? (Chapter four) How does Aiden question his parents’ view of why they chose to live in their specific neighborhood? Discuss whether you agree or disagree with his parents’ reasoning.

16. Why does Aiden think Brandon’s situation is his fault? How would you advise Aiden to view the situation?

17. Consider Brandon’s situation after the arrest. Discuss the scope and slant the news media and Brandon’s peers on social media have on his situation. Debate if the media outlets are focused on providing information about the incident in a fair and unbiased manner. How would you have approached discussion about the events?

18. While leading Brandon to have a conversation with Ms. Findley, Aiden defends the Life Skills class, stating “‘it is not just for troubled kids, either. It is for life skills. It is for helping you deal with all the crap that life throws at you.’” (Chapter nineteen) How does the conversation help Brandon voice, and later come to terms with, his deeper feelings about his identity at school and in life? How does Brandon’s admission impact his relationship with Aiden?

19. Discuss how characters in the book handle their fears and mistakes. Discuss whether you think some mistakes are beyond forgiveness and redemption.

Extension Activities

1. Consider the themes of friendship, loyalty, social responsibility, redemption, and empathy. Have students select individual characters they feel represent one or more of the themes. Have them discuss their choices in small groups.

2. Have students write a letter to the author discussing how the book has helped them better understand how someone with autism may experience certain stimuli differently. Include a discussion of how they will seek to promote greater empathy and understanding of neurodivergent individuals in their community.

3. Have students research online professional and Olympic athletes diagnosed with autism and report what they learned about how these athletes continue to meet challenges successfully. Have students discuss new approaches or perspectives they intend to apply.

4. Have students research online several national or local organizations that support research and advocacy for autistic teens. Have them identify an organization or project they feel inspired to support.

5. Throughout the novel, Aiden’s mental “notes” pause the story to elaborate on Aiden’s thought processes and how things he’s learned or knows or wants to know fit into the moment. Ask students to write a descriptive essay or timeline about what they did yesterday. Once they have their schedule, have them create notes like Aiden’s in certain spots to insert further personality and perspective into their day. These notes can be questions they thought about when something happened, or quotes or songs they always think about when they go somewhere or talk to someone, etc.

Guide created by Damon L. Austin, a school librarian and library information consultant who has worked with public, academic, special, and school libraries. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the American Library in Paris.

This guide has been provided by Simon & Schuster for classroom, library, and reading group use. It may be reproduced in its entirety or excerpted for these purposes.