Bibliographic Information

Title: Long Way Down

Author: Jason Reynolds

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books  

Copyright Date: October 24, 2017

ISBN: 978-1481438254

Genre

Realistic Fiction; Magical Realism

Format

Novel in Verse

Print Length

320 pages

Reading Level/Interest Level

Grades 7-12 (per Booklist)

Awards or Honors Include

• Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction (2018)
• CYBILS Award for Poetry (2018)
• Newbery Honor Book (2018)
• Coretta Scott King Honor Book (2018)
• Printz Honor Book (2018)
• Longlisted for National Book Award for Young People’s Literature (2018)

Plot Summary

If the blood
inside you is on the inside
of someone else,

you never want to
see it on the outside of
them.

(p.4)

Will’s older brother, Shawn, is everything to him. The two share a bedroom, their secrets, and the responsibility of taking care of their mom after their father is murdered. But one day, that all changes when Shawn is shot and killed outside their apartment. Now Will is faced with living the three Rules everyone on his corner knows: no crying, no snitching, and get revenge. As Will gets ready to face Shawn’s killer, he’s surprised by six ghosts from his past who are there to either haunt him or help him; he’s not sure. As secrets are revealed and tears are shed (breaking Rule #1), Shawn has to decide how he wants to live – or how he wants to die.

Author Background

Jason Reynolds lives in Washington, DC and teaches in the Writing for Young People MFA Program at Lesley University. He is the best-selling author of several works for children and young adults, including Long Way Down, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi, Ain’t Burned All the Bright (with artwork by Jason Griffin), and many more. His poetry and prose have earned him several awards, including a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and multiple Coretta Scott King honors. He served as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature from 2020-2022 and continues to focus his creative efforts on the power of young people seeing themselves in books (Jason Reynolds, 2022).

Critical Evaluation

The way Jason Reynolds has paired realistic fiction with magical realism in Long Way Down is stunning. The story is gritty as can be, but placing the main action in an elevator, over the course of just one minute, while introducing six ghosts who each share their haunting narrative, adds a heartbreaking beauty to the book. The use of verse feels like the perfect way to capture all of Will’s complex emotions. I chose to listen to the audiobook – narrated by the author – as I read the book, and it made for a rich, layered experience. Long Way Down is a book I will be thinking about for a long, long time.

Creative Use for a Library Program

In Long Way Down, Will is essentially trapped in an elevator as he encounters six different people with different ties to one another. A library could put on an “escape room” program, where youth are given clues about six individuals and the circumstances of their lives, and in order to escape, the youth must solve the mystery of how the individuals are connected.

Speed-Round Talk

Will’s brother Shawn has been murdered, and now Shawn feels bound to follow the three rules everyone knows: no crying, no snitching, get revenge. As he prepares to find the man who shot his brother, Will is surprised by six people from his past, who each have a message for him. Will he listen?

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation

Although Long Way Down has not faced any book challenges, two other works by Jason Reynolds – All American Boys (with Brendan Kiely) and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You (with Ibram X. Kendi) — were among the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020. See the image below for details:

If challenges were to arise, defense for Long Way Down could take much the same form as defense efforts for All American Boys, which included this extensive book resume compiled by the ALA’s United Against Book Bans campaign.

Reason for Inclusion

Reynolds’ novel in verse format is an approachable way for teens to consider Long Way Down’s complex topics of gun violence, death, and grief and how society and culture play into all three. It also provides the opportunity for “mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors” (Bishop, 1990), where teens may either see themselves reflected in the story or learn something about the experiences of other teens who might be different from them.

Other books by Jason Reynolds:
see the full list HERE