BIBLIOGRAPHY

Reynolds, Jason. LONG WAY DOWN. New York: Little, Simon & Schuster, 2017. ISBN: 978-1-4814-3825-4.

PLOT SUMMARY

Will is a fifteen-year-old boy whose older brother has been shot.  Through his pain, Will believes he has to follow the three rules in his neighborhood: No. 1 no crying no matter what; No. 2 no snitching no matter what; No. 3 revenge must happen no matter what.  As he gets ready to go through in avenging his brother’s death, he meets with unexpected visitors on his way down in the elevator.  What Will goes through in a matter of one minute in that elevator ride can change his plans.  Will he decided to go through his plan?

ANALYSIS

Will is at a crossroad in his life.  He has lost his only brother, and, in his anger, he feels with certainty he knows who shot him and has decided to go on and avenge him.  In many communities, this is the life that young men know.  Will is doing what he has heard about all his life, and he feels there are no other options.

SETTING

The setting takes places in a neighborhood where gun violence is more than common, and rules are expected to be followed.  Because of this there is the back and forth of bullets.  In many diverse communities there are those hidden rules that one feels they must follow.  It is a cycle that many times it cannot be broken. 

THEME

The central theme is revenge.  The author shows how for many groups, it is not easy to break the rules that they have been instilled in them even when they are not good rules.  Many continue the cycle they know instead of breaking it.  Here all Will knows is that he must avenge his brother’s death, and, in the elevator, it is shown how that cycle was followed with the other characters.  Is this the one time that the cycle will be broken if Will decides not to go through with it? 

CULTURAL MARKERS

Authenticity in description of the diversity within the book

Will describes how his friend, Tony and he ducked when they heard shots the day Shawn was killed.  Will mentions they ducked like they always do meaning that shootings happen frequently in his neighborhood.  Frequently, on the news it is heard about shootings where innocent people die in neighborhoods like Will’s.  

Author’s qualifications

Jason Reynolds is an African American author who has been inspired to write for young people to give them the opportunity to see themselves reflected in literature as he wished he had had that opportunity when he was younger.  Reynolds also acknowledges that many young people do not like to read and to make this book appealing he wrote it in free verse.  He knows the reality of African American youth.  Reynolds has received a variety of awards for his work such as the Audie Award for Middle Grace, the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult, the Carnegie Medal, the John Newbery Medal, NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, and the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Nonfiction.  The book Long Way Down was awarded the Newbery Honor, the Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and the Printz Honor Book. 

CONNECTIONS

The story ends with Shawn asking Will the question “Are you coming?”  Students will write what they think their answer would be if they were Will and explain why.  Students will share their writing with another classmate to discuss each other’s points of view.