Book Review of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

 

1.     Bibliography

Reynolds, J. 2022. Long way down. (D. Novgorodoff, Illus.) Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. ISBN: 9781534444959

2.     Plot Summary

William Holloman tucks down and hides when the gunshots come.  That is what people do when they hear them, hide and pray they don’t get hit.  Until one day someone Will loves does, his brother Shawn.  When Shawn dies, Will contemplates what he is going to do because he has lived his whole life by three rules.  Number one no crying, number two no snitching, and number three get revenge.  Will finds a gun and leaves early the next morning to go take his revenge.  In the elevator on the way down he is met by different people who have passed away and all have a story to tell.  When will finally makes it to the bottom floor he has to answer a question on whether he is going to go through with rule number three or not.

3.     Critical Analysis

In long way down by Jason Reynolds we follow the main character Will Holloman who has grown up with his brother and mom.  His father died when he was young but passed down a message to his older brother Shawn and his brother passed the message down to Will which is three rules to live by: don’t cry, don’t snitch, and get revenge.  When his older brother is killed Will has to decided if he wants to live by these rules and if he can pull the trigger and kill who he thinks has killed his brother.  Will is confronted by ghosts of people in his life that have passed away while he is on the way down to leave.  The book features a narrative style of writing and covers themes of loss, trauma, revenge, and the brutal cycle of violence.  The book illustrations are often broken and rapid to show the thought process Will is going through in this short time frame.  There are words written in red to portray the blood and trauma of this book.  The words are written in phrases and chunks and at times fall down the pages to show the impact of loss.  This book is a great influence for communities struggling with gun violence and loss of family members.  Young adults can learn how their actions influence different people and how they may be able to break the cycle of communities with violence. 

4.     Review Excerpts

"A moving rendition that stands on its own." -- Kirkus, starred review

"Reynolds’s words paint pictures of their own in this tragic yet poignant illustrated tale that offers no answers to the seemingly ­impossible choices some communities face." -- School Library Journal, starred review

"Far more than just an illustration of the events of the novel, Novgorodoff’s iteration powerfully cultivates the tone and mood of its source material, demonstrating just how effective and artful comics can be." -- Booklist, starred review

Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor

5.     Connections

*I would have students do research on a community struggling with gun violence and create a poster convincing them to stop using guns.

*Other books with community gun violence:

All American Boys by Reynolds, Jason

And We Stay by Hubbard, Jenny

Endgame by Garden, Nancy