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Long Way Down: Library Edition — Content Guide for Parents

By Jason ReynoldsSimon & Schuster2017-10-24ISBN 97815094603352 pages
Long Way Down: Library Edition

Themes present

Violence
Scary content
Racial/cultural content
Profanity

Not found

Religious themesClimate changeSexual identityGender rolesLGBTQ+ themes

Content themes

Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.

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Religious themes

PRESENT

Contains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.

About this book

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds's fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds-the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he's going to murder the guy who killed his brother. A cannon. A strap. A piece. A biscuit. A burner. A heater. A chopper. A gat. A hammer A tool for RULE Or, you can call it a gun. That's what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That's where Will's now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother's gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he's after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that's when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn's gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn't know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck's in the elevator? Just as Will's trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck's cigarette. Will doesn't know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES. And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator. Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.

Frequently asked questions

  • Is Long Way Down: Library Edition appropriate for a 7-year-old?

    The narrative involves multiple incidents of gun violence and death, as the protagonist grapples with the decision to enact revenge for his brother's murder. The book depicts the emotional and psychological impacts of these violent events. The illustrations in the graphic novel adaptation depict shootings and are described as sometimes disturbing, contributing to a tense atmosphere as the protagonist contemplates murder.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have violence?

    The narrative involves multiple incidents of gun violence and death, as the protagonist grapples with the decision to enact revenge for his brother's murder. The book depicts the emotional and psychological impacts of these violent events.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have scary content?

    The illustrations in the graphic novel adaptation depict shootings and are described as sometimes disturbing, contributing to a tense atmosphere as the protagonist contemplates murder.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have religious themes?

    No religious practices, beliefs, or ceremonies are present in the book's narrative according to the search results.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have racial/cultural content?

    The story centers on an African American teen boy and addresses themes of race, gun violence, and the impact of these issues within his community. The narrative highlights the protagonist's experiences as a Black youth facing societal challenges.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have profanity?

    The book contains mild swearing, including instances of words like 'hell', 'damn', and 's--t'. This is noted as part of the mature content in the narrative.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have climate change?

    No climate themes or discussions are present in the book's narrative according to the search results.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have sexual identity?

    The search results indicate little sexual content, with only a reference to boys bragging about experiences with girls, which is not central to the narrative.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have gender roles?

    No specific gender roles or discussions of gender expectations are evident in the search results related to the book's narrative.

  • Does Long Way Down: Library Edition have lgbtq+ themes?

    No LGBTQ+ themes or characters are mentioned in the search results related to the book's narrative.

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