The Long Way Down

The Long Way Down
By Jason Reynolds

This book is gold. I can't think about this book without feeling chills. I can't think about this book and not feel pain. This book was a short read but the message will stick with me forever. Written in verse the book really makes you feel every emotion this young boy is going through. Will's brother has been shot and killed on the way home from the store. Will deals with his grieving by following the "Rules". On his way to find his brother killer he is haunted by ghosts of the past.



**SPOILERS**

"Shawn turned back toward me, eyes dull from death but shining from tears, finally spoke to me. Just two words, like a joke he'd been saving. YOU COMING?

 A part of me hated that some of the rules were very similar to my own upbringing. It's a messed up lifestyle and an endless cycle of pain. I feel often that the human race is cursed to make the same mistakes over and over again. In Will's case, I can understood the drive for revenge. I only wish he had someone to talk with about his troubles. This was a very powerful book that I will never forget.

5 stars