 |
Book cover retrieved from the author’s website
at https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/books |
Reynolds, J. (2013). Long way down. New York: Atheneum.
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3825-4
Plot Summary
Long Way Down is a poignant look inside the mind of fifteen-year-old Will Holloman as he wrestles with right versus wrong, grief versus anger. When his older brother Shawn is gunned down. Will is quick to get his brother’s gun to exact revenge. However, on the elevator ride from his family’s 8th floor apartment to the street to commit the deed, Will is visited by a series of ghosts: family members and friends who have died because of “The Rules,” a code passed down from generation to generation: no crying, no snitching, and always kill the one who killed your loved one. Because of The Rules, Will has no choice but to go after his brother’s murderer. Or does he?
Setting
One of the most beautiful things about this novel is Reynolds’ ability to weave together the plot, characters, and setting. Reynolds describes Shawn walking to the convenience store, an activity common in urban city settings. Both boys share a room and Will wears hand-me-down clothes from his older brother, a sign that the family was tight on money. The author never has to explicitly say that Will is living in a neighborhood rife with gun violence and gang activity - the poetry says it all:
And then there were shots.
Everybody
ran,
ducked,
hid,
tucked
themselves tight.
Did what we’ve all
been trained to do.
(p. 10)
Characters
At first glance, Reynolds creates a problematic main character: Will is a walking stereotype: a poor, inner city boy, raised by a single parent, gets involved in gang violence. This stereotype has been particularly damaging to the African American community, and it could be argued that Reynolds is furthering this belief, if taken at face value.
However, Reynolds manages to shatter that stereotype by presenting Will as the frightened, grieving child that he is. Will’s experiences of grief and death are universal, and the reader can’t help but feel him ache for his brother. Reynolds also highlights the innocence of Will’s youth - he is only fifteen, after all, still waiting on a growth spurt (p.9). He's never held a gun before in his life, let alone shot one. This view of Will rises in sharp contrast to the “thug” image. Reynolds smashes the stereotypes of the violent African American inner city "thug" by letting us into Will’s inner thoughts to see that he is no more than a terrified child.
Reynolds also portrays the minor characters accurately: Uncle Mark is presented as well-kept and always well-dressed, a nice counterpoint to Will's too-big t-shirt and jeans. By presenting African American characters with different styles of dress, Reynolds avoids stereotyping or presenting a one-dimensional view of African American culture.
Theme
The theme throughout the book is consistent: perhaps violence isn't the way. Some may say you must follow The Rules, must turn into a cold-hearted killer, but perhaps there is another way. Perhaps you are more than a set of rules. Reynolds artfully presents that message to the main character through his family and friends, which highlights the strong sense of family and community in African American culture.
Cultural Markers
Reynolds is careful to create characters and a setting that are realistic. Growing up as an African American teen against the urban backdrop of Washington, D.C., Reynolds also experienced the murder of a best friend during his teenage years. He too went through a struggle with whether to exact revenge. These factors make him uniquely qualified to represent the voices of an inner-city African American community, especially the voice of grieving teenager Will.
Reynolds does a superb job of depicting Will’s culture and family authentically. Throughout the book, Will switches effortlessly from African American Vernacular English (AAVE) to standard English, using AAVE most often during times of high emotion. This “code switching” is a feature of African American communities and would have come easily to Will when telling his story to the reader. Also, Reynolds maintains a family structure common in African American communities in which extended family and friends help in the raising of children: the first ghost Will encounters on the elevator is Uncle Buck, his father’s best friend who helped raise Will and Shawn upon their father’s death. Furthermore, Will mentions the music his older brother enjoyed - Tupac and Biggie, both African American rappers.
Connections/Activities
Long Way Down easily lends itself to sharing with young people in a variety of ways. Reynolds intentionally ends the book ambiguously - the story ends as the elevator reaches the ground floor but doesn’t say what Will decides to do. A good extension activity would be to have students create the next “chapter” through their choice of media:
- Write the next chapter in prose
- Write the next chapter as a poem
- Create a comic strip
- Draw/illustrate the next scene
- Compose a song or rap saying what happens next
Another good connection activity (or even pre-reading activity) would be to learn more about the author. Jason Reynolds did several interviews when publicizing the book, and many of these provide good background information about Reynolds and Long Way Down. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts provides a video of Jason Reynolds discussing his book:
Another option is listening to Reynolds’ radio interview with NPR. Using audio recordings along with transcripts (available on here on NPR's website) is a great way to provide scaffolding for struggling or reluctant readers.
As an aside to parents and teachers: there is one instance of profanity in the book - Will says the “f-word” on page 22. Reynolds uses the word authentically to express very strong emotion in the main character, not as a way to sound “cool” to teenagers. However, because some families (and school districts) are sensitive to profanity, it was worth mentioning.
References:
Green, D. (host), Richmond, J. (editor), & Conrad, J. (editor). (2017, October 30). In 'Long Way Down,' the ghosts of gun violence chill a plan for revenge [Audio File]. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2017/10/30/560286304/in-long-way-down-the-ghosts-of-gun-violence-chill-a-plan-for-revenge?sc=tw
Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning [Username]. (2018, October 14). Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way Down [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuXNsJvNaFs&feature=youtu.be
Click a link below to read my other reviews of African American literature.
Review of Before she was Harriet
Review of Hidden Figures (Young Reader's Edition)
Review of Brown Girl Dreaming
Click a link below to read my other reviews of African American literature.
Review of Before she was Harriet
Review of Hidden Figures (Young Reader's Edition)
Review of Brown Girl Dreaming