by Jason Reynolds, 2017
A very unusual book. Written in verse style so, although it is 306 pages long, I read it in just an hour or so. A 15 year-old black child, Will, is following the rules after his beloved brother, Shawn, is murdered. The rules are: Don’t cry, Don’t Snitch, Get revenge. He has taken Shawn’s gun out of the middle drawer and stuck it in the back of his pants, and has walked out of the apartment where his Mom has fallen asleep after crying all night at the kitchen table. Will gets into the elevator and pushes the L button, for Lobby (or Loser). As the elevator goes down 7 floors, it stops at each floor and a person gets on. It ends up that each person except for one is a beloved family member or friend of Will’s, who has been murdered because someone was following the rules. The last person to get on is Will’s beloved brother, Shawn. These people (ghosts) show him powerfully how one evil leads to another and another and another.
I read this book because of Isabel’s page of drawings (see below). She said they were from Long Way Down, Anastasia, and Fahrenheit 451. We didn’t talk about the book at all, in fact, she couldn’t remember the title of it until Anza reminded her of it. I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to know what kind of books 8th grade teachers were having their students read. This was okay. No graphic violence, foul language, or anything like that. It might be a little disturbing for a young, innocent suburban child, but all-in-all, it is good for us to know how a young, urban black child can get roped into a life of violence. Here is Isabel’s artwork:
In the hardcover book, the quote Isabel wrote above is on page 19, rather than page 28. The gun, the EKG lines, the cigarettes, and the Do Not Cross are all part of the book. Great job, Isabel! I’m glad I read this book.
By the time Will gets to the Lobby (Loser), he has spent time with Buck, Dani, Uncle Mark, Pop, Frick, and Shawn. All dead because someone was following the rules. It is so sad that these people are dead. Such a sad, sad waste. So much needless violence and heartache and loss. The rules are bad and should not be followed. Stop the chain.
The way the book ends is Shawn, Will’s beloved brother, saying “You coming?” I thought he was in the elevator when he says that, but I guess all the ghosts get off the elevator and Shawn looks back to Will and asks, “You coming?” Hopefully, Will decides not to murder Riggs, because he may not have been the person who murdered Shawn, and because he realizes he must stop the cycle of violence.