Long Way Down

Product Information

The story is as gripping and moving as ever, its atmosphere perhaps even more poignant courtesy of Danica Novgorodoff's impactful watercolour illustrations.

Spanning a mere one minute and seven seconds, Reynolds' new free-verse novel is an intense snapshot of the chain reaction caused by pulling a trigger. In the novel Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds, Will, the main character, has been taught to live by the rules: don't cry, don't snitch, and take revenge. You know when you haven’t fully grasped the story they way you would have wanted to because you’re reading too fast and you just know that there are underlying gems that you are missing out on, but you can’t stop reading? The audio version includes an interview with the author, Jason Reynolds, who also performs the reading of the book.

For readers who perhaps don’t find reading that fascinating or find it difficult discover books that reflect their surroundings, because there is so little of it. The "rules" are the root of the perpetual cycle of violence that is the cause of so many senseless killings. After finding his brother's gun, he explores this dilemma in the long elevator ride down from their eighth-floor apartment. I have even talked the head into a little revamp of the library so that we can display them properly! In addition, the rules forbid crying or any show of emotion, as these are considered a sign of weakness.

If you are reading this, and you happen to be one of these boys, first of all, you're reading this Jason's master plan is already working (muahahahahahaha) and second of all, know that Jason totally feels you. I don't have too much to say other than I think this is a really effective coming of age story about how violence and toxic masculinity affects so many young black teens. Bronnie is so lovely with the boys and we also felt that having a man enthusing about the books set a great example. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do.

You can find this review and more on my blog, or you can follow me on twitter, bookstagram, or facebook! We see the conversations that he is having with some certain people that they were in his life at one point, and how they help our character in the taking of the decision. This is perfection, everything is extremely well done from the narrative to the page design, after reading this you will definitely see some changes in your point of view when it comes to the discussions brought up by the author. Since they don't have a father figure, Will looks to Shawn for approval and to learn about the world in which they live.