Long Way Down

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel

Written by Jason Reynolds, Art by Danica Novgorodoff

There are between 200 and 210 pages in the book. The graphic novel version was published in 2020, based on the novel in verse from 2017. It is a single book, not part of a series. 

The brother of the main character, William, gets shot in the street, which seems to be out of nowhere. So, then William follows “the rules,” and goes after the dude who shot his brother. William reunites with family and friends on the way down to continue the line of vengeance. Will he do it? 

It’s a good book, and it’s well written and well described. There are not too many words, but not too few words. It has a deep meaning in the book. I liked the storyline, and how deep it was and it shows a community based on rules that certain communities will go by. The ending was good but indecisive, and I have mixed feelings about the ending. It was like a pick-your-own path thing, but I would prefer to know what path he chose, instead of deciding what path he chose. 

The book explains the neighbourhood where violence is part of “the rules,” and if you are used to this kind of neighourhood where shootings happen, you might be able to relate to this book. I would really recommend it in this case. But even if you are not used to this, I would still recommend this book. 

Lavoie, J. (2020, October 9). North York murder victim Shane Stanford was a long-time YMCA employee. Toronto.com. https://www.toronto.com/news/crime/north-york-murder-victim-shane-stanford-was-a-long-time-ymca-employee/article_d58f2ef9-d4f3-5626-89fb-72e38767f571.html 

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