Friday, March 6, 2020

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Title: Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds
Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books
Publication Date: October 24, 2017

Format: Hardcover
Price: $17.99
Page Count: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 9781481438254

Reading Level: Grades 7 and up (ages 12+)
Lexile: 720
Interest Level: Grades 7 and up (ages 12+)

Annotation: Will's brother was murdered. Now Will's going to find who did it and do the same back to him.

Plot and Content Summary: Told in free verse, Long Way Down follows Will, just as he is about to leave his apartment to get revenge on his brother's murderer. With his brother's gun in hand, he takes the elevator down to leave. But as the door opens at every floor, he encounters people from his past who reveal pieces of the real story behind his brother's death—and more.

Evaluation: Reynolds is an incredible story teller, a man of few words but speaks so powerfully on gun violence. Since Reynolds narrates this story from Will's perspective in a poetic way, we can really feel the trauma he experiences through the metaphors and figurative language he uses. The way gun violence is explored, although not written in prose, clearly shows the dangerous cycle that anyone can get easily caught in. This was impactful and a life-changing read.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: It is clear that Reynolds is taking a stance and using his voice to speak out about gun violence. For those who feel trapped in this culture, he encourages them that it is not impossible to break out. Even though there are rules, and no matter how cornered one may feel, he shares a new perspective to them. Remember who died because of this? What would they say? This is a real issue that some teens were born or forced into.

Issues Present: For the same reason this could help teens, adults may think the opposite. Long Way Down is a brutal and explicit book. Reynolds does not hide the violent realities. For adults who want to censor this because the content is too explicit, this was Reynolds' reality. He wrote from his experience, so he wants to spread this message to others—those who are awfully aware of it AND those who are not. Reynolds is exposing this for what it is and bringing it to light. Yes, we want to protect teens from being part of this. But it can also raise awareness and empower teens.

Book Talk Ideas: "If someone you love / gets killed, / find the person / who killed / them ..." (p. 58)
  • What are some of the themes that show up in Long Way Down?
  • Long Way Down is written in prose. Discuss why this is (or is not) a strong way to convey the themes presented.
  • What are "The Rules" that Will mentions, and do they make sense? (p. 54-58)
  • How does the way Will grew up impact how he lives his life? (p. 58)
  • What do you think Will chose to do in the end?
Genre/Subgenres: African American fiction; Novels in verse

Readalikes: Fight or Flee by Patrick Jones, Solo by Kwame Alexander, Monster by Walter Dean Myers

References
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