Long Way Down

Product Information

This is about a boy who's brother is shot. He believes he knows who did it and the rules of his community are that if someone is killed, you kill the person who did it. So, he gets a gun and is talking himself into commiting murder. But when he gets on the elevator to travel down to where the person he thinks responsible is, he is met on each floor by a ghost of someone that is related to the story of his brother's death. As the ghosts of those killed congregate in the elevator to tell Will their stories, their interconnected tales are untangled and Will begins to see how the things he thinks he knows may not be true at all, and that The Rules just perpetuate the cycle of violence and keep everyone down. Novgorodoff’s realistische stijl en beperkt kleurenpalet komt op een bijzondere manier samen met de paranormale elementen in het verhaal van Reynolds. Want gedurende de 67 seconden dat Will in de lift staat, stapt er op elke verdieping iemand in. Mensen die eigenlijk niet in zouden moeten stappen. Unlike a traditional prose novel, Long Way Down is written in verse. Poets are known for using language intentionally and with precision, often choosing words with connotative and denotative meaning. Reflect on the significance of the protagonist’s name. The word Will can be used as a proper name, but also as a verb and a noun. In what ways does the protagonist encompass multiple meanings of his name?

Kirkus, [5] Publishers Weekly, [13] the New York Public Library, [14] the Chicago Public Library, [15] Entertainment Weekly, [16] Vulture, [17] Paste, [18] Buzzfeed, [19] Horn Book, [20] and School Library Journal [21] named Long Way Down one of the best young adult books of the year. The Washington Post included it in their list of "50 Notable Works of Fiction 2017." [22] It said what should be said about such a tragedy, but I was remembering the same strong message being shouted loudly by movies like Boyz n the Hood in 1991 and Menace II Society in 1993. Thirty years ago. What are “The Rules”? Do you agree that these three rules exist? If so, can you remember how you learned about them? If not, are there other unspoken rules that you follow instead? What do you think Will means when he writes: “They weren’t meant to be broken./They were meant for the broken/to follow.” Will’s words are so haunting and broken; he’s lost his big brother, his hero, and now all he wants is to follow the rules – the rules that he’s been taught his whole life. The rules that say the only fair response to the wrongful death of a loved one… is revenge. Will knows his mission is probably going to leave him in the same state as his brother, but it’s all he’s equipped to do. It’s such a powerful metaphor for toxic masculinity and the ways in which it prevents boys and men from knowing how to cope with trauma in meaningful, productive ways – not through their own faults, but because they’re never been shown a better way.The story consists almost entirely of a trip in an elevator lasting one minute and seven seconds. There is a boy, a gun and some other people, most of whom are already dead. He’s fifteen, lost, confused and the only thing he knows is to follow the rules. The rules that have been set by his family and community, because validation lies there and it’s the only way a situation has ever been handled.

What are “The Rules”? Do you agree that these three rules exist? If so, can you remember how you learned about them? If not, are there other unspoken rules that you follow instead? What do you think Will means when he writes:“They weren’t meant to be broken./They were meant for the broken/to follow.” The last person who enters the elevator is Shawn. What does Will tell his brother? How does Shawn respond? What rule do both brothers break? Do you think Shawn wants Will to avenge his death by shooting Riggs? Explain your answer. Ellen Hopkins’ use of verse and poetry is dead and Jason Reynolds killed it, personally, by himself. The double meanings alone are perfect. Jason Reynolds has a way with double meanings. Look at the top quote. A camera shoots. A man can also shoot. Kreizman, Maris (December 19, 2017). "The 10 Best YA Books of 2017". Vulture . Retrieved January 9, 2022. Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Cumulative List 1988-2022" (PDF). Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award. April 6, 2021 . Retrieved January 8, 2022.Long Way Down (graphic novel) by Jason Reynolds". Junior Library Guild . Retrieved January 9, 2022. Massoni, Simone. "50 notable works of fiction in 2017". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286 . Retrieved January 9, 2022. This was incredible. Not only is it so emotional and well-developed, but oh my god, the writing is so good. 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.

Why did Uncle Mark start dealing drugs? Why did he keep dealing? How did he die? Why do you think Uncle Mark wants Will to act out what will happen when he follows the rules? What message is he trying to convey with his words and actions? Smith, Julia (July 2017). Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds . Retrieved November 28, 2018– via Booklist Online. Will introduces himself to the reader and swears that his story is true, though he understands if the reader doesn’t believe it. He asks the reader to call him Will, like everyone else does. Only his mother calls him William, and his brother Shawn used to too, when he was trying to be funny—but last night, Shawn was killed. Will says that no matter what he doesn’t or doesn’t have in common with the reader, it’s still horribly painful to see a loved one’s blood outside of their body.

Need Help?

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. Sutton, Roger (October 5, 2017). "Review of Long Way Down". The Horn Book . Retrieved November 28, 2018. A graphic novel edition of the book, illustrated by Danica Novgorodoff, was published October 13, 2020, by Atheneum. [52] This graphic novel was the 2022 winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal. [53] At the beginning of the novel, Will reflects that the story he is about tell will either make readers want to be his friend or not want to be his friend at all. After you finish the book, write Will a letter telling him which one is true for you and explaining why.