A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Award (Honor)
What's it About?
Will's brother has been killed. He now must do the only thing he knows should be done. Revenge. On his mission for this revenge, he takes a long trip down on an elevator where he's faced with his past and "the story" he thought he knew. Will he follow the rules? Will he continue the cycle?
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Reaction:
Getting started with this title took a minute. Long Way Down wasn't something I thought I initially could relate to enough to fully understand but Jason Reynolds does an excellent job of pulling readers into the emotion and tragedy of Will's story, a story of too many. From beginning to end Reynolds use of verse grabs the reader and sucks them into Will's elevator ride and tormented emotional journey.
Long Way Down takes readers (or listeners) on an incredible journey and dives into a world where the circle of violence is a way of life. I imagine it can be understood on many different levels depending on the reader (or listener). The palpable agony of what Will is facing and how he feels he must deal with the death of his brother is driven by the language and prose that Reynolds brings to the telling of this story. Surely this could be written narratively but it would not have the same effect on connecting readers to the confusion, haste, reaction, and feelings of the characters.
My hesitation in starting Long Way Down was quickly deterred when I couldn't stop flipping to the next page and seemed to move through this story faster than I could pick up everything it was trying to give me. In fact, I went back through it two more times, the last time with an audio version read by Reynolds, which is highly recommended. There is so much to unravel in this one and it did not disappoint. In fact, left me thinking for days after.
327 words
For more about Jason Reynolds click here.
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