Long Way Down

Reviewed by Shea Martin

Review Source: Electric Lit
Book Author: Jason Reynolds

This ain’t the year for sugarcoating the truth. Jason Reynolds’s 2017 novel, Long Way Down, gives it to us in heart-wrenching verse that demands we pay attention — not only to the story, but also to our own truth. Readers spend the novel on an elevator ride full of grief, memories, love, and possibility with the protagonist, Will. A story that addresses the complexities of family, loyalty, and violence, Long Way Down is a meditation in duty and love in its rawest forms. Often, Reynolds’ truth is a gut-punch (especially in this year): “People always love people more when they are dead.” A book of promises, regrets, and “I love you’s” that reads like a part-diary, part-family reunion, Long Way Down stares you down and dares you to deal with your loss, isolation, and grief of 2020.

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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Published by Simon and Schuster on October 24, 2017
Genres: African American
Pages: 320
Reading Level: High School
ISBN: 9781481438278
Review Source: Electric Lit
Also by this author: All American Boys, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

Publisher's Synopsis: “An intense snapshot of the chain reaction caused by pulling a trigger.” —Booklist (starred review)
“Astonishing.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A tour de force.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
A Newbery Honor Book A Coretta Scott King Honor Book A Printz Honor Book
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner for Young Adult Literature
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award
An Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner
An Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2017
A Vulture Best YA Book of 2017
A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of 2017