Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds – Book Review

Title: Long Way Down Author: Jason Reynolds Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy Books Release Date: October 24, 2017 Interested in teaching Long Way Down? Check out the LIT Lessons Long Way Down Novel Study.

Will has a choice to make. Or maybe he doesn’t. With a gun shoved into the back of his waistband, he heads out to avenge his brother Shawn’s death. But as the elevator stops at the next floor, Buck steps on. Buck is dead, and he wants to know what Will is going to do with that gun. The gun that used to be Shawn’s. And so, with each stop on his trip down the elevator, Will encounters person after person, each an integral piece to a larger story or circle or cycle that Will finds himself a part of now. That story ends or begins when he gets to the lobby and must decide to get off the elevator or not.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is engaging, suspenseful, layered, complex, riveting, and poignant. The list of adjectives and accolades can go on and on. This novel-in-verse captures the devastating effects of revenge and the cycle of violence that entraps so many communities, families, friends, people, strangers. Long Way Down isn’t a sound-byte on the issue or a fleeting commentary, it deeply explores this cycle and the generational trauma that exacts a heavy toll. The toll emerges through Reynolds’s powerful prose, multifaceted characters, and complex narrative. Yet, readers’ understanding of these substantial literary and societal themes may require multiple readings. Readers won’t mind; Long Way Down does deserve to be read more than once.

Long Way Down is an important novel to offer in the classroom. Whether it’s for that one student that needs its message or to teach as a whole class novel study, the book packs immense value. The novel’s themes, characters, and conflicts will deeply resonate with students and provide educators with ample discussion opportunities. Further exploration of the novel’s structure and poetry will only help to enhance the narrative’s literary worth, as they reflect the deeper issues inherent in the story. Long Way Down may be challenging to teach, but without challenge, change is not possible.

Classroom Applications

• Cross-Curricular Study – Teach the novel in conjunction with a study of the cycle of gun violence and revenge. Use the Long Way Down Novel Study to help students make cross-curricular connections.
• Literature Circles – Use novel for small groups or choice reading with a variety of novels in verse.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Gun Violence
• Revenge
• Cycle of Violence

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with Long Way Down. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds (Themes, Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections)
• The Crossover by Kwame Alexander (Novel Structure, Themes, Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections)
• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Themes, Nonfiction Connections, Character Connections)

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