All American Boys

by

Jason Reynolds

Paul Galluzzo Character Analysis

Paul is Guzzo’s older brother. Like Guzzo, he is an “enormous,” powerfully-built white man. After Quinn’s father’s death, he promised to support Quinn and has acted as a father figure to him. Inspired by Quinn’s dad, he decides to be a police officer in order to make a difference. However, rather than having a positive impact on the world, he violently beats Rashad while arresting him for a crime he didn’t commit. After the incident, Paul refuses to admit any wrongdoing and demands loyalty from those around him.

Paul Galluzzo Quotes in All American Boys

The All American Boys quotes below are all either spoken by Paul Galluzzo or refer to Paul Galluzzo . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism, Stereotyping, and Police Brutality Theme Icon
).
6. Sunday: Quinn Quotes

I felt like such an ass. I'd quickly convinced myself I had no idea who that kid with Paul was that night. And yeah, there were like a thousand kids in each grade at school, or whatever, but I did know him. Or know of him, really. I'd seen him––Rashad––in that uniform, and it'd made me think of my dad wearing his own at college. How my dad had looked proud in all those pictures.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Rashad Butler , Paul Galluzzo , Quinn’s Father
Related Symbols: Uniforms
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
7. Monday: Quinn Quotes

“I mean, it's Paul. This is the same guy I’ve seen carrying my mom up the front steps, for God's sake.” I was thinking about that time Ma got trashed because it was her first wedding anniversary without Dad. Paul had been so

gentle. He'd taken the frigging day off just so she didn’t have to spend it alone. “She was tanked,” I said to Jill. “And he helped her home. I remember him putting her down on the couch and pulling the afghan over her.”

“Paulie's always been the good guy.”

“That's what I want to think.”

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Jill (speaker), Paul Galluzzo , Ma, Quinn’s Father
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:
9. Tuesday: Quinn Quotes

Now I was thinking about how, if I wanted to, I could walk away and not think about Rashad, in a way that English or Shannon or Tooms or any of the guys at school who were not white could not. Even if they didn't know Rashad, even if for some reason, they hated Rashad, they couldn’t just

ignore what happened to him; they couldn't walk away. They were probably afraid, too. Afraid of people like Paul. Afraid of cops in general. Hell, they were probably afraid of people like me. I didn’t blame them. I'd be afraid too, even if I was a frigging house like Tooms. But I didn't have to be because

my shield was that I was white. It didn't matter that I knew Paul. I could be all the way across the country in California and I'd still be white, cops and everyone else would still see me as just a “regular kid,” an “All-American” boy. “Regular.” “All American.” White. Fuck.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Rashad Butler , Paul Galluzzo , English Jones, Shannon Pushcart, Tooms
Page Number: 180
Explanation and Analysis:
12. Wednesday: Rashad Quotes

My dad, my dad, had paralyzed an unarmed kid, a black kid, and I had had no

idea. My dad shot a kid. I mean, to me, my father was the model of discipline and courage. Sure, he was stern, and sometimes judgmental, but I always felt like he meant well. But to that kid––and now my head was reeling––to that kid, my dad was no different than Officer Galluzzo. Another trigger-happy cop who was quick to assume and even quicker to shoot.

Related Characters: Rashad Butler (speaker), Paul Galluzzo , David Butler, Darnell Shackleford
Page Number: 234
Explanation and Analysis:
13. Thursday: Quinn Quotes

I did not want to be a hero. I did not want to make any of what had happened in the last week about me. There was a guy who'd just spent six days in the hospital because the guy who'd been my personal hero for four years had put him there.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Rashad Butler , Paul Galluzzo
Page Number: 266
Explanation and Analysis:

I'd been thinking about that all day, but I didn’t have the words for it until Ma brought up Dad. Everybody wanted me to be loyal. Ma wanted me to be loyal. Guzzo wanted me to be loyal. Paul wanted me to be loyal. Your dad was loyal to the end, they'd all tell me. Loyal to his country, loyal to his family, they meant. But it wasn't about loyalty. It was about him standing up for what he believed in. And I wanted to be my dad's son. Someone who believed a better world was possible––someone who stood up for it.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Paul Galluzzo , Ma, Quinn’s Father, Guzzo
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis:
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Paul Galluzzo Quotes in All American Boys

The All American Boys quotes below are all either spoken by Paul Galluzzo or refer to Paul Galluzzo . For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Racism, Stereotyping, and Police Brutality Theme Icon
).
6. Sunday: Quinn Quotes

I felt like such an ass. I'd quickly convinced myself I had no idea who that kid with Paul was that night. And yeah, there were like a thousand kids in each grade at school, or whatever, but I did know him. Or know of him, really. I'd seen him––Rashad––in that uniform, and it'd made me think of my dad wearing his own at college. How my dad had looked proud in all those pictures.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Rashad Butler , Paul Galluzzo , Quinn’s Father
Related Symbols: Uniforms
Page Number: 108
Explanation and Analysis:
7. Monday: Quinn Quotes

“I mean, it's Paul. This is the same guy I’ve seen carrying my mom up the front steps, for God's sake.” I was thinking about that time Ma got trashed because it was her first wedding anniversary without Dad. Paul had been so

gentle. He'd taken the frigging day off just so she didn’t have to spend it alone. “She was tanked,” I said to Jill. “And he helped her home. I remember him putting her down on the couch and pulling the afghan over her.”

“Paulie's always been the good guy.”

“That's what I want to think.”

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Jill (speaker), Paul Galluzzo , Ma, Quinn’s Father
Page Number: 129
Explanation and Analysis:
9. Tuesday: Quinn Quotes

Now I was thinking about how, if I wanted to, I could walk away and not think about Rashad, in a way that English or Shannon or Tooms or any of the guys at school who were not white could not. Even if they didn't know Rashad, even if for some reason, they hated Rashad, they couldn’t just

ignore what happened to him; they couldn't walk away. They were probably afraid, too. Afraid of people like Paul. Afraid of cops in general. Hell, they were probably afraid of people like me. I didn’t blame them. I'd be afraid too, even if I was a frigging house like Tooms. But I didn't have to be because

my shield was that I was white. It didn't matter that I knew Paul. I could be all the way across the country in California and I'd still be white, cops and everyone else would still see me as just a “regular kid,” an “All-American” boy. “Regular.” “All American.” White. Fuck.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Rashad Butler , Paul Galluzzo , English Jones, Shannon Pushcart, Tooms
Page Number: 180
Explanation and Analysis:
12. Wednesday: Rashad Quotes

My dad, my dad, had paralyzed an unarmed kid, a black kid, and I had had no

idea. My dad shot a kid. I mean, to me, my father was the model of discipline and courage. Sure, he was stern, and sometimes judgmental, but I always felt like he meant well. But to that kid––and now my head was reeling––to that kid, my dad was no different than Officer Galluzzo. Another trigger-happy cop who was quick to assume and even quicker to shoot.

Related Characters: Rashad Butler (speaker), Paul Galluzzo , David Butler, Darnell Shackleford
Page Number: 234
Explanation and Analysis:
13. Thursday: Quinn Quotes

I did not want to be a hero. I did not want to make any of what had happened in the last week about me. There was a guy who'd just spent six days in the hospital because the guy who'd been my personal hero for four years had put him there.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Rashad Butler , Paul Galluzzo
Page Number: 266
Explanation and Analysis:

I'd been thinking about that all day, but I didn’t have the words for it until Ma brought up Dad. Everybody wanted me to be loyal. Ma wanted me to be loyal. Guzzo wanted me to be loyal. Paul wanted me to be loyal. Your dad was loyal to the end, they'd all tell me. Loyal to his country, loyal to his family, they meant. But it wasn't about loyalty. It was about him standing up for what he believed in. And I wanted to be my dad's son. Someone who believed a better world was possible––someone who stood up for it.

Related Characters: Quinn Collins (speaker), Paul Galluzzo , Ma, Quinn’s Father, Guzzo
Page Number: 267
Explanation and Analysis: