Long Way Down

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Who does Will believe killed his brother? What are his reasons for believing this? Do you think he’s right?

I found the concept of this book very interesting, maybe the first of this kind for me. I'll admit it, at the beginning I was a little confused about the way this book was written. It was not about the fact that it was written in verses. I will just tell you that you will most surely understand when you will read it if you didn't already because I don't want to give any kind of spoilers. The pleasure of discovering it all by yourself is one of the best, for us, the readers.Smith, Julia (July 2017). Long Way Down, by Jason Reynolds . Retrieved November 28, 2018– via Booklist Online. The coolest thing about this book to me, and something I don't think I really noticed until I saw my favorite booktuber's review, is that this book doesn't try to be about right and wrong. It's not that simple, and Jason Reynolds knows that. I think this book has a lot of layers that don't come through at first, but that kill you more and more the deeper you look. Reynolds held the idea for Long Way Down for years before finally writing it. In 2003 when Reynolds was 19, he learned that a friend had been murdered. [3] Speaking of the moment, he said he and his friends felt "an anger, a pain, like a cancer metastasizing by the second, spreading around [them] and through [them]. [They] knew his death had changed [them] chemically, and that [they] could do, perhaps, what [they] never knew [they] could do before. Kill." [3] Reynolds continued, SECONDEN doorbreekt grenzen, zowel inhoudelijk als vormelijk. Jason Reynolds snijdt het confronterende onderwerp aan van geweldadige milieus, waar jongeren vaak ongevraagd in terecht (en meestal geboren) worden, van hoe moeilijk het is om de vicieuze cirkel van geweld en wraak te doorbreken. Graphic novels hebben vaak een beperkte verteltijd, en dat maakt het soms een hele opgave om lezers emotioneel bij de keel te grijpen, ondanks de versterkende werking van beelden. Reynolds en Novgorodoff slagen hier dik in. Ik was even sprakeloos toen ik de laatste bladzijde omsloeg en moest alles even laten bezinken. Dit verhaal was ruw en confronterend, want het is levensecht. Het trekt je als lezer, die vaak ver weg leeft van dergelijke omstandigheden, uit je comfortzone en dwingt je de ogen te openen, dwingt je na te denken over de fijne grens tussen zinloos geweld, geplande wraak en zelfverdediging. Bedankt aan Blossom Books en L&M Books voor dit recensie-exemplaar. Dit beïnvloedt mijn leeservaring en recensie in geen enkel opzicht.

Will is fifteen years old and facing the challenge of making adult decisions that may have lasting consequences. Compare Will’s conflict in Long Way Down to the conflict of the speaker in William Stafford’s poem “Fifteen”. Think about a time when you were faced with a moral dilemma. What choice did you make? Write a narrative poem or narrative essay about your own experience. Will notes that his brother idolized the rappers Tupac and Biggie. While rap music is sometimes criticized for being misogynistic and/or glorifying violence, drug use, and gang culture, rap music has also brought to light issues of social justice and been a catalyst for reflection, awareness, and change. Choose a hip-hop or rap artist to research and profile. How do their personal experiences inform their music? What message do you think they are trying to convey? Choose one of their songs and analyze it the way you would analyze a poem. Research the epidemic of gun violence in America, specifically looking at gang-related gun violence (note: the Chicago Tribune has excellent special reporting on gun violence in Chicago). Try to identify some of the root causes of the epidemic. What could be done to solve this problem? I’m beginning to think I’m bound to love stories told in verse. Long Way Down was masterfully written, with an ending that left me breathless. The rules in this neighborhood are - in the event of a loved one being murdered - 1. No crying; 2. No snitching; 3. nearest male relative to the victim must kill the killer, no argument. The first two rules are not too difficult. The third rule, logically, inevitably, creates the next victim, and the next person to require revenge. And so....on.

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Cassie (August 1, 2018). "2018 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Book Award Winner & Finalists Announced". Teachers Who Read . Retrieved January 9, 2022.