THE RULES:
No. 1: Crying
Don’t.
No matter what
No. 2: Snitching
Don’t.
No matter what.
No. 3: Revenge
Do.
No matter what.
I am kicking off my blogging journey with a book I could not put down; a book full of message and meaning and feeling. I could scarcely breathe while reading it!
One look at the cover of Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds will leave the reader with little doubt as to the quality of the book. It is covered in prestigious awards. Now, sometimes award-winning books are the books that we as teachers love, but they just don’t strike a chord with our students. I cannot see that being the case with Long Way Down.
Will’s older brother has been killed. Throughout the book, written in beautiful poetic form, you are introduced to the cycle of killing and revenge. Will encounters a series of people from his past on his way to follow rule number 3.
This book is incredibly moving. You feel Will’s anguish and internal torment as he wrestles with the decision he must make as well as his grief over losing his brother. It became apparent that Will felt he had to avenge his brother, and while he was certainly mad enough to want to get revenge, he still not sure if he had it in him to take another life. It makes you wonder where the cycle will end? What if you get the wrong guy? Are you sealing your own fate of certain death if you carry out this act? Revenge is part of the rules so you can guarantee someone will be coming for you...
In my opinion, a great novel makes you forget that there is an author. You forget that there is a person behind the book guiding the process and the words become the words of the character and not the author; The thoughts are heard in the voice of the character and not the author. So many books do not do this for me, but this book does. I loved the way Jason Reynolds puts you inside the mind of Will as you see through his eyes the events that take place, and he does it incredibly well.
“but if the blood
inside you is on the inside
of someone else,
you never want to
see it on the outside of
them.”
I cannot stress enough how excellently done this book is.
Be aware if you are a parent or teacher that there is some strong language in parts of the book, but I really feel that for a high school audience it is still appropriate. You may just want to screen it before loaning it out if you are unsure! This book is going to be relatable to a lot of students going through similar life events. I also think it is a book every parent and teacher should read if you want to put yourselves in the shoes of the young people in your life.
I highly recommend Long Way Down. It is one of the best books I have read in a long time (and as an avid fantasy reader, realistic fiction is not always my first choice). I loved it. I think you will too!
