Long Way Down

In fifteen-year-old Will’s neighbourhood, there are certain rules that must be followed when a family member is murdered: no crying, no snitching, and get revenge. These rules were taught to him by his brother, Shawn, who was taught by his uncle, who was taught by his brother, Will's father and so on back to long before Will was born. And they have all obeyed the rules. Now, Shawn has been murdered and it is Will’s turn. He finds his brother’s gun and, with it tucked into his waistband, he heads out to get revenge against the man whom he assumes, without any real evidence, was the shooter. But as he takes the elevator down, it stops on each floor and a literal ghost from his past enters, all victims of gunfire and all but one who had died as retribution after obeying the last rule.

Long Way Down by author Jason Reynolds is a powerful tale told in free verse about the violence that has become too common in many urban neighbourhoods. Reynolds’ skills as a wordsmith are such that although the story is told seemingly without emotion (Rule 1), this book evokes strong and almost visceral reactions. I rarely read a book more than once but I have already reread Long Way Down and know that it is one of those rare books I will return to again and again. Even knowing the ending, which is, at least to me both ambiguous and stunning, it crashed into me just as hard the second ride down the elevator.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

When Will’s older brother Shawn is murdered in front of him, Will knows what he has to do. He follows the rules that Shawn taught him. No crying. No snitching. Get revenge. So Will gets a gun out of Shawn’s dresser in the room that they used to share and heads out of the apartment. But on his ride down to the lobby in the elevator, Will finds himself on a unique experience. On the sixth floor, Buck enters the elevator. Buck, who gave Shawn the gun that Will has in his pants waist. Buck, who had been killed. As the elevator continues down floor by floor, other dead people enter. There is the girl that Will saw killed when he was a child. There are family members who were killed. All of them followed the rules. All of them have a message for Will. All share Will’s story, but how will his story end?

This book is quite simply a masterpiece. Written in verse that captures the guilt, sadness and fear of all of the losses and the violence on the streets, the book sings a mournful cadence that gets into your blood. It’s a book that you can’t stop thinking about. One that asks far more questions than it answers, asking both Will and the reader about what they would do. Nothing presented here is simple or clear. It is all muddled, confusing, filled with grief and loss, revenge and pain.

It takes a great author to craft a story in an elevator. Write it in verse that soars, then tighten the experience to one room, one long ride into the future and choices that have to be made. The verse is exceptional, the voice of Will and his ghosts are a clarion call to peace and breaking the rules. But can Will hear them in time?

Moving and deep, this verse novel is one of the best. Get this into the hands of teens, particularly reluctant readers who will discover they love poetry after all. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

This book was absolutely stunning in every possible way. My heart completely went out to Will and I was instantly captivated by his story. Long Way Down follows fifteen-year-old Will in the immediate aftermath of his brother’s murder as he seeks justice. Will confronts his past and himself on a life-changing elevator ride.

Things I Liked
This was my first experience with a story told in verse and I have to say it was done masterfully. It was so easy to see Will’s emotion and mindset - it made the story a joy to read. And it was such a quick read, I read the entire thing in one sitting. I will definitely looking for more stories told in verse in the future.

There was such an incredibly strong sense of family and community woven through the story. Not only Wills deep unconditional love for his brother Shawn, but each person that Will encounters on the elevator brings life to this story and expands the world beyond the steel box.

This was such a character focused story and I loved every single minute of it. As you know, I live for character driven stories so I was a very happy reader with this book. This entire story is a journey of Will’s emotional state after his brother is murdered. We see him wrestling with himself and the culture he was raised in and “The Rules” he’s expected to follow. This is such an internal story that has so much emotional depth. AND I WAS SO HERE FOR IT.

I loved the ending of the story. I thought it was appropriate and poignant and honestly it made me tear up.

Things I Didn’t Like
N/A

Seriously, there wasn’t really anything I disliked about this book. I don’t even think I can nitpick something stupid.

This was such a standout book and completely captivated me from the first page. I don’t know what else to say other than I cannot sing this book’s praises enough. Everyone should read this and bask in it’s beauty and power. I now must read every book by Jason Reynolds ever.

A big thank you to Simon and Schuster for granting me access to an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not going to lie. I have never read anything by Jason Reynolds before. I’ve definitely been curious and I do have All American Boys on my shelf at the moment, but it’s still unread. That will probably change really soon after reading this pounding story.
Will is reeling over his older brother Shawn’s death. He has a pretty good idea on who the killer might be, so he leaves his apartment prepared. He puts his brother’s gun in the back of his jeans and goes on the elevator to kill the murderer. Things take a quick and tumultuous turn when ghosts enter the elevator on each floor, causing Will to slowly question what he plans on doing exactly.
So, I did not know that this book was written in verse format. When I opened up the file on my phone at first, I saw pages that looked like they had specks. I couldn’t really see it that well on my small phone. I opened the file on my computer and managed to understand it all. The pages aren’t pure white. They seem to emit a kind of grainy background while also showing images of each floor as the elevator goes down. Major points on that artistic aspect. It’s one of my favorite elements of YA fiction.
Back to the verse format. I did not expect that format, but it’s probably a favorite of mine. It feels a lot more personal from the main character when a story is written in verse. I like to compare it to a diary, you know?
Nothing really rhymes, which I think is a bonus. If it had all rhymed, I would have probably had to take a break. Rhyming poems aren’t my thing, oddly enough. Jason, though, developed his own style when creating the format. Words were separated differently. There was no set design. For instance, the stanzas wouldn’t always be centered. Sometimes they’d be on the left side, right side, all over the place. Jason made the style very unique and it all flowed perfectly. It was honestly beautiful to look at it and admire.
This is a fast read, of course. When something is in this kind of format, you can’t help but read it a lot faster than a regular novel. However, what makes this a fast read is the fact that you don’t want to put this book down. It’s that kind of book that you just have to read in one sitting otherwise you will feel like you are going to miss something. It’s kind of like a mystery because we uncover secrets about Shawn’s murder and even some past memories of Will’s life. You don’t want to move from your seat while reading this. You want to keep going and going and going until you hit that last page.
The last page...

I won’t say what the final words are. But, I do have a theory. Obviously, we reach the lower level that Will had intended to reach when he got on the elevator. When it comes to the final words, they definitely hold a powerful meaning regarding Will’s next move. In my opinion, the experiences on the elevator made him really think about what could happen if he went through on his promise to kill his brother’s murderer. The ending leaves his choice kind of open-ended so the reader can decide what that next step may be. I do enjoy the endings that allow readers to make the decision because then those creative juices start flowing. You come up with a future for the character in your own head. Some readers may not find it as open-ended as I did, but everybody will probably have different interpretations, which I find as a very positive thing.
There is a lot to think about when it comes to this book and Will’s character and revelations. I loved Jason’s style and the way he works with his words and his creativity. This book definitely has me wanting to pick up more of Jason’s work.
I’m literally on a diversity kick right now and I just want more. Our world needs it, for sure

Title: Long Way Down
Author: Jason Reynolds
Age Group: Teen/Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Series: Standalone
Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I borrowed this book from my local library and reviewed it.

Jason Reynolds won my heart last year when he wrote a book for Marvel Press, focusing on Miles Morales, who becomes Spiderman sometime after the classic Peter Parker era. So, ever since, I’ve been seeking out his work. Long Way Down came out last year, and I had to return it to the library twice before I could actually get to it. It was sitting on top of my library stack when I returned from Tennessee for vacation, and before I got ready for the day, I made myself comfortable on the couch and began to read. This book is somewhere around three hundred and twenty pages, and I finished it in an hour and a half. Painful, timely, raw and ripped from the headlines, Long Way Down is unforgettable, and now I’m not sure which Jason Reynolds novel is my favorite. One of the best books of 2017! Haunting, beautiful, and absolutely unforgettable. Honestly, I’m kind of upset that I only just now got to reading it; it’s not hard to see why everyone is talking about this book, and why it won a highly coveted award.

Told in sparse, sharp and snappy prose, Long Way Down tells the story of Will, whose older brother, Sean, was murdered by a gang member in their neighborhood. Or so he thinks. Nonetheless, he’s fixed on revenge, on settling the score. He’s in an elevator, armed with his brother’s gun, headed from the seventh floor, thinking about what brought him to this path of violence, rage, and blood. He knows The Rules. No crying. No snitching. And always, always make retribution a priority. When he gets to the sixth floor, though, he ends up hitting a snag. Buck, his brother’s best friend, steps into the little box, and turns out that he’s the one who gave Sean the gun in the first place. He tells Will to check if it’s loaded, and he discovers that one bullet is missing. As far as Will knew, Sean never even used the weapon. And he realizes that Buck is dead. So how, exactly, is he standing in the elevator with Will? Buck is soon followed by a teenage girl, one that Will has known since childhood. The whole way down, Will is haunted by ghosts, both real and imagined, and he begins to piece together the truth about his beloved older brother’s death, bigger than anything that he thought he knew. And the story might just have an ending, if Will gets off that elevator before he does something he regrets.

This book was, in a word, powerful. It flew, the pacing was breakneck, due to the prose being so short; it finished it in an hour and a half. It’s been two days, and I’m still absolutely amazed. Jason Reynolds is one of my inspirations, because he’s so good at conveying great amounts of emotion in just a handful of words. I can see why this book won an award; it was raw, brutal, timely and shocking, and I loved the narration; I couldn’t figure out for the life of me what was real and imagined in Will’s traumatized, grieving mind. As the book moved forward, I was desperate to see if Will would carry out his bloody deed, or turn back before it was too late. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside out: the loss and grief and rage seemed to jump off of the page and grab me by the throat until the ending. I loved all of the characters, but Will was my favorite: his voice was so distinctive, and reading his words made me feel like I was internally bleeding. I flew through this book, and the prose, electric and real, is tattooed onto my brain, even two days later. And that ending—oh my goodness! Jaw-dropping. Easily one of the best books of 2017, and I will never forget it. Gorgeous, brutal, sharp and cutting, a tale of family, grief, and revenge, Long Way Down is a great achievement, and I’m in awe, both as a reader and a writer! Amazing! Next on deck: Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young!

240 pages
67 seconds
7 floors
6 visitors
Each with a piece
of the story
not known
until now.
Will grieving
his brother
with a
gun
and a
target
thinking he knows
what he has to do
following
The Rules
wondering
what
to do
who
to be
and what
comes next.

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. I'm going to be talking about and sharing this book for a very long time.

Jason's skill at putting words together that grab your heart and head, bringing you into the lives of his characters, kids just trying their best to do what's right and live the way they've been taught, astounds me. Long Way Down is no different. This book is going to have an impact. The type of impact that makes you question what you thought you knew and how life can be. This is a must-read and must-share in classrooms (7th & up), especially in those rooms where you have teens who are living Will's life with the rules he's been taught to life by.

I can't wait to get my hands on a finished copy, to reread, sit with his words and turns of phrase, and find the spots that bear repeating to kids in our classrooms. I can picture the faces in my head of the former students I wish were still in my classroom so I could put this book right into their hands.

Written in staccato-rhythmic poetic verse, Jason Reynold's ninth novel, Long Way Down is a short, young adult novel that leaves a lasting impact.

Reynolds tells the fictional, yet realistic, story of William Holloman. His brother, Shawn, is the recent victim of gun violence. In an effort to follow unwritten protocol in his neighborhood, William finds his brother's gun and sets out to get revenge. On his way to do what he feels he is required to do, he gets on the elevator of his building. As it goes down, William meets someone on each floor who helps widen his perspective.

Because the story is written in verse, the pages turn quickly. I found myself struggling between savoring the creative crafting of the story but also gulping the content in a rush to get to the end and find out what happens once that elevator reaches the bottom level.

After finishing the novel and learning more about Mr. Reynolds, I definitely want to read more of his work. He has a new and refreshing take on how we can use classic literature and pop culture in tandem to get more young people, especially boys, to read and read more. Be sure to check out his interview from Jan. 23, 2018 on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Recommendation: This book is a very quick read. Most people could finish it in a day, probably just a couple of hours. But don't be afraid to go back and read it again. It is short, but also deep and complex. Reynolds' approach to writing stories for the underrepresented is noble. However, this book could (and should) have an emotional impact on any reader!

Until next time ... Read on!

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Rating: 5/5 stars
Best For: 13-18 years old, 8th to 12th grade.
Clean Read: Violence.
Worth a Check Out: Yes. Readers who like The Crossover will like this one.
Buy It or Not: Yes. Definitely a purchase for a library collection, English Teacher, and those looking for a great book.
Read Aloud: Yes. This fast read would make a great classroom read aloud for a high school or 8th grade classroom.
Lesson Ideas: Inner city, poetry, family relationships, revenge, expectations, obligations.

Long Way Down is a fantastic book. The story is interesting b/c the entire story takes place in an elevator. The story is enlightening into the life of an inner city teen. The story has depth with great character development and discussions of expectations and revenge. The story is a fast read many readers and reluctant readers alike will enjoy. This story would be a great book for high school teachers to use, read, and discuss in the classroom.

More book reviews at alohamoraopenabook

Rating: 5/5

Genre: YA Contemporary/Verse Poetry

Recommended Age: 16+ (violence,

I received this book for free courtesy of KidLitExchange. All opinons are my own.

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.

Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds. – the store.com
In the future this time period will be studied in English Literature classes as the period of amazing own voices YA literature. Why I say this is because this is the second book I’ve read that discusses what it’s like to be African American in modern day (the first being Dear Martin and there is another one named The Hate U Give that I own but not read yet). Where Dear Martin focuses on being considered guilty before proven innocent this book focuses on the need to avenge, the need to honor, and follow these rules that are passed down throughout the community. These rules include no crying, no snitching, and revenge. This book is also an excellent read for males of any ethnicity because being a male in this society means that certain things are expected of you and this book goes to prove that even the strictest rules can be broken. If you can’t tell from how much I’ve already wrote then I’ll tell you right now that I LOVED this story. I have only read verse poetry once before and it was the Ellen Hopkins books, but I only lasted until through the first book before I got tired of it. With this book I didn’t feel like the writing style was overwhelming or too different. It felt very natural to how someone would think or speak in my opinion, which worked very well for this book. The character development was very well done in the way that it was written. The plot was very uniquely told and unique in its invention as well. The pacing was also very well done and I fell that each “level” was equally discussed.

The only thing I had issue with in this book was that I felt the ending was very open-ended and I’m not a huge fan of that. While I thought the book needed an open-ended ending and it works well for this story, I’m just personally not a fan of it. I did expect it, but I didn’t like it.

Verdict: If you were a fan of The Hate U Give or Dear Martin I would highly suggest this book. It’s an amazing read for those looking for diverse or own voice novels and it’s a story that needs to be told. I can’t really describe how important this novel and others like it are important for people to read in this day and age because if I go on about all the reasons I would end up spoiling the novel for you. But if this book isn’t on your TBR it needs to be.

Long Way Down is a powerful book that keenly demonstrates the ever widening repercussions and devastation wrought by a single act of murder. When his brother is gunned down, Will has to grow up fast and decide whether or not to follow the code of his world even if it will continue the cycle of death and grief and horror his family is already suffering. Raised with the "rules" - don't cry, don't snitch and get revenge - this young man, still reeling with shock and sadness finds and straps on his brother's gun. As he heads down the elevator to the street in order to seek retribution on the guy he thinks killed his brother, Will is visited by a series of people from his past who have also been victims of gun violence. Each individual is a soul and a future lost, from his father to his childhood friend and on and on. The audio book is narrated by the author Jason Reynolds because he wanted to be sure that his voice and the intent of his poetry would be accurately and meaningfully conveyed. As he discusses in the epilogue, he hopes to create a sense of understanding and empathy which will one day break this chain of violence and revenge. Long Way Down is a haunting and heartfelt book with a sense of urgency that is even more important with each passing day of gun violence.

One of my favorite books of 2017.  Jason Reynolds is a master storyteller and a man of words.  "Long Way Down" may be a quick read, but the message lasts forever inside your heart.  Will's brother was just shot and killed.  The rules of the hood (no crying, no snitching, and revenge) dictate that he must kill the person that did this to his brother.  He thinks he knows exactly who killed him, so he takes the gun his brother hid away and decides to go after the suspected killer. As he takes the elevator for the short ride down, the lift stops on every floor.  Spirits of people he knew from the past get on.  People that were shot and killed.  Friends.  Playmates.  Family.  Father.  In a matter of sixty seconds, Will has to decide if he is going to have his revenge.  The people getting on the elevator are the ones shaping his decision.

Jason Reynolds is one of the best writers I encountered in 2017.  Everything I've read by Reynolds so far is inspiring and very well written.  He blows my mind with his stories and the lessons he is trying to teach the younger generation.  "Long Way Down" was one of the few books I read in 2017 that made it to my curated bookshelves.  This is a story you will keep locked away in your mind thinking this man Reynolds is something else.  

[I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]

ason Reynolds destroyed me with Long Way Down. I had a lump in my throat with every turn of the page. As a mother, the idea of any child or young adult grappling with death, with revenge, with his or her own humanity at such a young age twists my very soul. This is what poetry, what verse, so smooth and seamless is supposed to do, scratch at your chest digging its way to your heart. We meet Will, a young man trying to come to terms with seeing his brother gunned down. Reynold's was able to build such a vivid picture of Will, one that is little boy lost mixed with young man angry and sad. Will talks about the rules, that they are meant to be followed, that they are how things are handled, he says, "Another thing about the rules, they weren't meant to be broken, they're meant for the broken to follow...". This in a nutshell sums up Long Way Down because it is about being broken not only inwardly, but as a society. The sins of the father... Reynold's references his brothers and sisters behind bars, victims of the legacies of those that came before them. I had heard a lot about Log Way Down and several of Reynold's other works and I can say the hype was well placed. I recommend reading this along with the audio book that is narrated by Reynolds, it is languid, thick with raw yet quiet emotion, and poignant. I am glad the tissue box was close by.

“There are three rules. 1. No crying, no matter what, no crying. 2. No snitchen, no matter what, no snitchen. 3. Always, get revenge, always.”
“One thing about the rules, they aint meant to be broken, they are meant for the broken to follow”.
This book is deep! Will’s brother is shot and killed two days ago and Will is on his way to kill the person that he thinks murdered his brother, Sean. William, “Will” lives on the eighth floor of an apartment building with his mom and, Sean, his older brother. Most of the men in Will’s life have been murdered, shot but two days after Sean is killed, Will takes Sean’s gun out of his dresser with the messed up drawer and set out to get revenge for Sean. On the way down in the elevator, eight floors; the elevator is stopped at every floor and a new, deceased person gets on, including his dad that he never knew. Everyone that gets on the elevator has been murdered, he knows them all even though he has not met them all before. The stop that the elevator makes before they reach the lobby Sean gets on and, I feel that every person that got on the elevator so far is trying to convince him that “the rules” don’t mean squat when you are dead but then Sean gets on and Will gets a tear in his eye but, will, Will make the right choice or will his mom be left all alone. I found this book to be very thought provoking and well written and, poetic.

A metaphorical descent in an elevator full of personified, haunting realizations challenges a grief-stricken, revenge-driven boy, aptly named WILL, to choose whether to follow the dangerous social rules of his neighborhood or question them—in essence, to exercise his free will to choose life over death. This brief, yet powerful YA novel, captures the brief, powerful moments following any tragedy, when our confused minds desperately sort and struggle to clarify what happened, how we feel, and how we react. We all know that an impulsive, emotional decision can lead to a fall, and this knowledge makes the reader of Will's moments of torment completely empathize with him. Long Way Down is written as a book-length, free verse poem, and though I wish the work were longer (and the fascinating supporting characters more fully developed), the unread lines between Reynolds's lines will allow me, as a writing teacher, to create some terrific prompts for my students. I definitely plan to use this novel for my writing workshops. Thank you, and congratulations, to Jason Reynolds for creating a philosophical novel that will spark deep discussions and writings among teens.
(And by the way, kudos to the brilliant book designer! The book is a work of art in more than just its words!)

I enjoy reading novels written in prose. I feel that the novels take on a deeper, more emotional quality to them. I loved the way that the author spaced out his words, how he placed his punctuation, and how he grouped his text. Whether one page held ten words or thirty, the intensity and the significance of those words was the same, each word had value. From the beginning pages, I was captivated by the story of Will and his brother Shawn.

After the shots rang out, Shawn was dead. Reading the text, I could see Shawn’s girlfriend, bent over Shawn’s body, her earsplitting screams piercing the air. Will cannot comprehend the scene that is before him, that is his brother lying on the ground, a stain spreading around his limp body. His mother becomes numb when the news reaches her ears, this was not supposed to happen. The world has come to a stop.

Will knows immediately what he must do, what you had to do when you come face-to-face with this type of situation, Will has to follow the rules. The rules, how they came about is not important, what is important is that they are followed. As Will begins his retaliation, his ride down the elevator to the world outside becomes quite a long journey. A long eye-opening journey which allows Will to see the world for what it is, to see the consequences of decisions that have been made and to decide where the future is headed.

I am a middle school English teacher and used some of my budget money to purchase more independent reading books for my classroom. I wanted books that students would actually want to read, and I based my choices off of the recommendations of colleagues and fellow book-lovers. This title was recommended over and over again, so I knew it was a must-have. I got my order today (Friday, September 21) and decided to bring the book home with me for the weekend. In just about an hour, I read it from cover to cover and my skin crawled with chills the whole way through. I am a white woman, but I teach in an urban district. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a very safe environment, and it's difficult to shed the privilege that came with my upbringing. Sometimes it's hard for me to imagine what life is like for my students (whom I adore and whom I would absolutely go to the ends of the earth for, and no question take a bullet for) and this book gave me so much insight into the struggles they could possibly be faced with during the course of their lives. Not only was the message strong, but the actual writing was superb. The figurative language in this was breathtaking. This is one of those books that you will never forget. It will impact you long after you read the last page and close the cover.

This book was absolutely phenomenal.

While I can understand some people's issues with the brevity of this book, I think it lends the story a sense of urgency. I had no issues with character development, or any of the other criticisms short books tend to get. In fact, I was impressed with how much development we got given the fact that the book is so short.

This was a very visual, very sensory read. We follow Will as he rides down an elevator, on his way to exact revenge and kill his brother's murderer, and on each floor a new ghost join's Will, each of them victims of gun violence that he knows. It felt like a play to me, with these characters entering the "stage." In this case, the elevator provides an immediate metaphor--it's a steel box, a cage, alternately a coffin and a prison cell. As Will descends, it seems likely that he will end up in one or the other.

Reynolds examines the impacts of gun violence in lower income, urban black communities, and how they're often cyclical in nature. He looks at each character with empathy, something so often denied to black people in America.

It's a beautifully written, incredibly powerful book. 100000% recommend.

Maybe I am not the proper clientele for this book. I am not a Young Adult but I do work with them. I heard so much buzz about this book and it has won major awards, so I wanted to pick it up. I enjoy the style of prose fiction (I'm an Ellen Hopkins fan) and I like that it was told over a period of 1 minute. However, the setup of the words on the page didn't really do much to the story for me. The story itself was heartbreaking, but it didn't blow me away. I can see how the intended audience would like this but for me, I was underwhelmed.

My first book written by Jason Reynolds. Excellent work written prose. This was unlike anything I've ever read before. I highly recommend to young folks, or parents of young folks, especially young men or anyone who works with or has a desire to positively impact our youth.

An absolutely amazing read! I pre-ordered the Audible version which is narrated by the author. I started the audio and knew immediately from the skillful use of prose I would be finishing the short book in one sitting. I was hanging on ever sentence, line, repeated line, emphasis, character, and every word used. The societal realities sketched within the pages are palpable from start to finish. I highly recommend this book. It does not disappoint.

I plan to read more work by this author. This was the first book I've read by him.

A new one for my favorites list. I'll definitely read it again.

This book was everything I love about Jason Reynolds and I can't wait to get it into my students' hands.

Shawn is dead and we are instantly taken into the mind of his brother, Will, as he grieves and plots revenge. Through verses that reveal his sensitive, psychological state, we realize that Shawn was the last, remaining person for Will to lean on.

As he starts his journey to avenge his brother's death, he hits a road block that took my breath away. Reynolds' concept for this book was engaging, powerful and stunning...and I couldn't put it down.

I read it in one sitting and tossed and turned all night thinking about its brilliance.

Book #12 Read in 2018
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

This is a powerful verse novel for young adults. Will's older brother is killed in a shooting and Will thinks he has to follow the code and kill his brother's killer. He finds his older brother's gun and heads out. This book takes place on his elevator ride down from his apartment to the street to go find the killer. Each stop at each floor brings a ghost to Will....and things to think about regarding what he has planned. A powerful novel that high school readers will love.

Hauntingly good. My heart is pounding having just read this book in (essentially) one sitting. It’s written in verse and so reads very quickly.

Every. Single. Person. Please read this book.

I simply don’t have words to express myself. My heart feels broken in a way I couldn’t have seen before.

May we each take the long way down in our judgments and assumptions of others’ lives and experiences and never not ever presume to know anything other than our own direct knowing.

An absolutely amazing read! I pre-ordered the Audible version which is narrated by the author. I started the audio and knew immediately from the skillful use of prose I would be finishing the short book in one sitting. I was hanging on ever sentence, line, repeated line, emphasis, character, and every word used. The societal realities sketched within the pages are palpable from start to finish. I highly recommend this book. It does not disappoint.

I plan to read more work by this author. This was the first book I've read by him.

A new one for my favorites list. I'll definitely read it again.

This book was everything I love about Jason Reynolds and I can't wait to get it into my students' hands.

Shawn is dead and we are instantly taken into the mind of his brother, Will, as he grieves and plots revenge. Through verses that reveal his sensitive, psychological state, we realize that Shawn was the last, remaining person for Will to lean on.

As he starts his journey to avenge his brother's death, he hits a road block that took my breath away. Reynolds' concept for this book was engaging, powerful and stunning...and I couldn't put it down.

I read it in one sitting and tossed and turned all night thinking about its brilliance.

Book #12 Read in 2018
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

This is a powerful verse novel for young adults. Will's older brother is killed in a shooting and Will thinks he has to follow the code and kill his brother's killer. He finds his older brother's gun and heads out. This book takes place on his elevator ride down from his apartment to the street to go find the killer. Each stop at each floor brings a ghost to Will....and things to think about regarding what he has planned. A powerful novel that high school readers will love.

Hauntingly good. My heart is pounding having just read this book in (essentially) one sitting. It’s written in verse and so reads very quickly.

Every. Single. Person. Please read this book.

I simply don’t have words to express myself. My heart feels broken in a way I couldn’t have seen before.

May we each take the long way down in our judgments and assumptions of others’ lives and experiences and never not ever presume to know anything other than our own direct knowing.

Thank you @kidlitexchange for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This is an incredibly powerful book that needs to be in every library, YA classroom and readily available to so many readers. It's creative delivery and message will leave a lasting impact.

Will has grown up being told to follow three rules: no crying, no snitching, seek revenge. When his brother is shot, he grabs a gun, enters an elevator and knows what he must do. Something magical happens on that 60 second ride. At every floor someone from Will's past enters the elevator. All are dead and all were involved in an act of gun violence.

Jason Reynolds is brilliant. This story is told in verse with each page only consisting of a few sentences. Perfect example why words are persuasive. Especially when they are breathtakingly sparse, but incredibly convincing.

A truly unforgettable book that needs to be at the top of everyone's must read list.

This story primarily takes place on an elevator as a teenager is on his way down from his apartment to avenge his murdered older brother and along the way, he meets some interesting characters.

I found this story very interesting and the characters intriguing. I was a little skeptical at first by the writing style as I don't really read books written in verse, but I kind of liked it. It definitely fits the tone of the story. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Audio of author, Jason Reynolds, reading his own "novel in verse" story must win a Tony Award! It is straight up riveting, on point and just so real! His voice and his word choice and "accent" is hypnotizing! For kids who come from similar neighborhoods, but from different ethnic backgrounds (e.g Samoan, Micronesian, Vietnamese, Filipino), Reynolds tone and passion make his pain and his battle to choose so universally understood! A quick story for struggling and unmotivated readers and a lesson on important themes that are relevant today! Please come and visit our libraries, schools and juvenile DHs in Hawaii Mr. Reynolds! Our kids need you!

I checked this book out of the library and finished it the same day in an hour or less. I just couldn't stop reading. The book may be short on word count, but this author has proven that sometimes less is more. I'd describe this book as powerful, thought-provoking, and current. I hope this book is read in schools as part of the curriculum. I won't spoil the ending, but I still think it's the best ending for a book yet. Chills.

What?! I need more! I seriously just picked this up this morning to read as my students were coming in. I was reading it out load to my kids. And then I couldn’t stop. I spent my entire planning period reading. And when my kids were working, I was reading.

This book grabs you by the throat and won’t let go. It punches you repeatedly in the gut until you can’t take it. And then it just stops. And it leaves you so full of thought. So full of questions. So full of fear. So full of an aching sadness that you know this kid, these people, this story. And you want it to stop.

Long Way Down was original, brilliant, touching, tragic, and will definitely be one of the best books I read in 2018, if not at the top of my list. This is a short book, written in verse, primarily for young adults, I know, without a doubt, that reading this book made me a better writer. I listened to the audio edition. It was read by the author, who has a nice voice and made it all the more personal.

An incredibly captivating novel of poetry that captivated from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down until I'd finished the stories hours after I bought it. The message of it is powerful, the way Reynolds uses shape, diction, repetition, and leitmotiv shows a skill in writing rarely seen in prose novels, much less poetry. Every poem adds another dimension, another tick of suspense and meaning, to the story, and the ending left me aching. Loved everything about the story, and I highly recommend it. The themes of the story are not only relevant, but thought provoking and, at the same time, a subversion of the messages of many other stories in the genre. Trigger warnings for guns, violence, and death, but if you can, please read it.

Great read! Whole book takes place in the time span it takes to ride an elevator down less than 10 floors. Each floor, a new side of the character’s history is explained, and helps the reader understand a culture that is not understood or grasped by those not living within the life of the streets. Eye opening, heartfelt, and though provoking. Will keep me thinking and reflecting.

My first book written by Jason Reynolds. Excellent work written prose. This was unlike anything I've ever read before. I highly recommend to young folks, or parents of young folks, especially young men or anyone who works with or has a desire to positively impact our youth.