“In a very real voice, Liza Jessie Peterson recounts her days teaching young men imprisoned on Rikers Island awaiting trial. She switches between her streetwise motherly voice to the voices and inner thoughts of young men struggling to maintain identity, dignity, credibility, and sanity. Her interactions with them and theirs with one another are both heart wrenching and chilling at the same time. She peels back layer upon layer of these kids’ reality and exposes the humanity and vulnerability of young men who are scared, beautiful, and dangerous. Liza also finds insights into herself about how to truly make a difference in the lives of children lost in the matrix.”

—Danny Simmons, painter, and executive producer of Def Poetry Jam

“This remarkable work of witness, testimony, and empathy by Liza Jessie Peterson is a literary gift that could not be more precipitous. We seem to be reminded, nearly weekly now, of how disposable and hated young Black men are by powerful sectors of this society. Peterson challenges us to see and feel beyond dangerous tabloid stereotypes. This feat she accomplishes with exquisitely flowing, pungent prose. ALL DAY is a generous bouquet of hip, laconic storytelling informed by big-sisterly love and a compulsion for social justice.”

—Greg Tate, author of Flyboy in the Buttermilk and Everything but the Burden

“Liza Jessie Peterson speaks the recipe of all of our freedom into existence. And magnificently so!”

—asha bandele, author of The Prisoner’s Wife

“Liza Jessie Peterson has captured the essence, the humor, the intellect, and the psychology of the lives of young people (especially young Black men) trying to survive in the penal systems of America. I was captivated by the characters. I could see them, smell their musk, feel their attitudes, and hear their voices to a point where I felt I knew them and would recognize any one of them if I bumped into them on the street. The stories, the characters, the talent, the conflicts, and the love are all there with a message: There must be a better way to raise our youth who have gone astray than to warehouse them in penal institutions. ALL DAY is a must-read for anyone who cares about children and believes in the possibilities that arise from affording them the opportunity to have the brightest of futures.”

—Abiodun Oyewole, founding member of The Last Poets, author of Branches of the Tree of Life

“ALL DAY is a gem, an honest look at our all-too-often-forgotten youth. Liza Jessie Peterson takes us on this journey in a way that only she can, holding up a mirror and forcing us see what we are allowing our fellow citizens to go through. Her journey is as remarkable as the way in which this book was crafted. It’s truly a must read.”

—D. Watkins, author of The Cook Up