Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds and Danica Novgorodoff

 Citation: Reynolds, J., & Novgorodoff, D. (2020). Long way down: The graphic novel. Atheneum.

Characters: The book follows Will, a 15-year-old boy who’s fighting the urge to revenge his brother’s death. The majority of the story takes place inside of his apartment building elevator. Will is not portrayed as an inherently good or evil character, he is simply just a young boy who is at odds with himself about the next move he should take after his brother is shot. The reader does not learn much about Will’s socioeconomic status, but we can assume he and his family fall into the lower end of the SES attributes. When we see Will’s room we see that he shares it with his brother, Shawn. Will’s family lives in an apartment in an inner-city neighborhood.

In the elevator we meet various characters from Will’s past including friends, family members, heroes, and enemies who have all been affected in one way or another from gun violence. These characters are portrayed in positive and negative lights. Some characters were completely innocent in the violence, while others were instigators in the situations.

Throughout the stories we don’t see characters of other cultures, but we do see characters who have different personal backgrounds with stories to tell. Not each character started in a world of gang violence, but they may have made some choices that made them end up there, or they were simply put in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Setting: The story is set in a poorer part of an urban neighborhood in an unnamed city. This helps the reader to be able to identify with the story since the characters and the setting are not related to a specific part of the country. The setting plays a huge role in the character’s story as it helps provide context on the “street rules” that Will has to follow. The majority of the story is set in Will’s apartment elevator. He spends the entirety of the ride from his floor to the lobby deciding if he will seek revenge on his brother’s killer.

Cultural Values: The story reflects life in an urban area that is consistently affected by gun violence. It shows the everyday realities that the people in the community face like grief, fear, and pressure to abide by street rules. The story highlights how environment will shape a person’s identity and decision-making. 

The street rules that Will has to consider are no crying, no snitching, and always get revenge. In the elevator he’s met with different characters who reinforce these rules and show the consequences of sticking by them. While learning about the character’s stories we hear of the cycle of violence that is present in their community.

The author uses authentic and conversational language that reflects Will as a teenage boy growing up in an urban neighborhood. The reader also is exposed to gender-norms for boys and men in this story as they are supposed to hide their emotions and seek revenge when needed. This leads to a normalization of violence in their own neighborhood. 

Will is a young, Black, boy who is the protagonist of the story. His voice highlights those who are consistently underrepresented. The story promotes empathy as it shows the humanity and emotional depth of each character by allowing the reader to get a glimpse at their backstory. 

Overall Quality: The story encourages readers to question the cycle of violence and the consequences that come along. Readers have to consider the choices the characters make, the morality of people, and facing peer pressure when it comes to keeping up with social expectations. The end of the book is left with an open-ended conclusion. We never get an answer as to if Will chooses to continue the cycle of violence or if he decides to break it. This leaves it open for the reader to interpret and decide for themselves if Will sought out revenge or not. 

The graphic novel for this story combines poetry and visual storytelling to help build tension and emotion from the reader. The illustrator added faces to the names and characters that the author created, which makes it more intense. The visuals that the illustrator added help enhance the plot and the theme of the story. 

The graphic novel is very engaging and accessible for all readers, but especially those who are reluctant to read. The style and theme of this story would be more appealing to readers in middle and high school grades. 

The illustrator uses color, shading, and space to help reflect the emotional tone of the story. The characters are realistic depictions showing their facial expressions and body language. We see cultural elements like the environment, clothing, and community reflected in the visuals from the book.  

Reviews and Awards:

• Kirkus Reviews, 2020: “Reynolds’ fans will be pleased to see some of the original dialogue and narration remain, though edited to keep the story emotion-packed and the pace as swift as the elevator ride.” 

• School Library Journal, 2020: “Reynolds’s words paint pictures of their own in this tragic yet poignant illustrated tale that offers no answers to the seemingly impossible choices some communities face.” 

• Walter Dean Myers Award Winner 

• Coretta Scott King Author Honor, 2018 

• Newberry Honor Book, 2018 

Connections:

• After reading the book students can write about what they would do in Will’s situation and explain why. Students can participate in a class discussion and reflect on their writing and the book. 
• Students can reflect on their own unspoken rules in their communities (neighborhood, school, friend groups). 
• Students can read The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and reflect on the common themes.