Review: Long Way Down

Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds

Publisher: Atheneum
Publication Date: October 24, 2017

LONG WAY DOWN is the story of Will, a young boy whose brother was just shot down and killed. Following the rules of his neighborhood- Don’t Cry, Don’t Snitch, Get Revenge- he seeks his brother’s killer. But now in an elevator ride down to the street he begins to realize that sometimes bullets miss. And there is always someone else who knows the rules.

Told in lyrical verse, I really enjoyed this book. The author uses this method to give a new meaning to words that would otherwise be meaningless. The whole story is told in a bit longer than sixty seconds which creates a panicky feel to the story. Reynolds also uses slang of this particular neighborhood that adds to the realness of the story despite it being written in verse. The urgency of the situation is also magnified by the fact that the main character is only fifteen years old, a strange age for someone to be preparing to shoot someone down. But his stream of thoughts is accurate for someone of his age and connects more with the readers.

This book is perfect for contemporary book lovers looking for their next obsession. It is definitely one that will leave you thinking, both because of the situation itself and because of the double meaning ending. Throughout the book, you are constantly forced to stop and think both because of the words used and the imagery provoked. I would recommend this book for older readers because of the situation and some of the language used.