Long Way Down

Product Information

He has always written stories, but he was an illustrator for twenty years before his first book was published. But as he takes the elevator down, with a gun tucked in his pants, it stops on each floor and a ghost from Will's past enters, all victims of gun violence, but will that be enough to change his mind ? Jason Reynolds is masterful in the way he can use such sparse language in these free verse poems for such a powerful and emotional impact. Yourself and Bob are much cherished in our booky world and I personally really appreciate everything that you do. It’s written in verse, but tells a complete story of a young boy who is out to seek revenge because his brother was killed.

Will’s words are so haunting and broken; he’s lost his big brother, his hero, and now all he wants is to follow the rules – the rules that he’s been taught his whole life. She currently teaches 9th grade English, a remedial reading and writing course, and English as a new language to non-native speakers.In this all too real portrait of survival , Reynolds goes toe-to-toe with where, or even if, love and choice are allowed to exist.

Will has Shawn's gun under his second hand shirt as he rides down in the elevator on his way to kill the boy who shot his brother. This was a powerful lecture with some certain messages about life choices, presented in an exceptional way. He has a chance to step out of the cycle of revenge but the reader can see how hard a decision it is for Will as he descends. 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. These rules are why William finds himself on an elevator with a gun tucked into his pocket, descending down to the level of his brother’s killer.

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. Things take a strange turn when on each floor, a murdered soul from Will’s past life enters the elevator, each sharing the story of their death. I did enjoy the way the author narrates the audiobook, but it was too fast for me to get attached to the story or the characters.

The man is Buck, a man who used to be like a big brother to Shawn, the man who gave Shawn the gun Will now carries, and a man Will knows to be dead.the novel ends with some hope that Will will make the right decision and has been influenced by the people he encountered during that long ride down. I was invigilating in a GCSE English room recently, and I picked up this book whilst I was waiting for the students to enter! As Will listens to his mother's sobs at home, he opens the middle drawer of Shawn's dresser, previously forbidden territory, and finds a gun.