Long Way Down

Long Way Down

YA fiction in verse
"AFTER THE SHOTS
me and Tony
waited like we always do
for the rumble to stop
before picking our heads up
and poking our heads out

to count the bodies.

This time there was only one."
If the above excerpt from Jason Reynolds' Long Way Down doesn't
chill you I don't know what will. It succinctly portrays a place
where unexpected violent deaths are so common even kids know the
drill. This is also a place where, when the victim is one of your
own, there are three rules: you don't cry; you don't snitch, and you
kill the person who killed your loved one.
Narrator Will has just lost his older brother, Shawn. He didn't
see the shooter, but he's sure he knows his identity. Shawn's gun in
his jeans waistband, he steps into an elevator, setting off to
accomplish his grim mandate.
At each floor a new passenger gets on. But this crew does not
hail from the land of the living. His uncle and father, a childhood
friend...all victims of violence and vengeance.
What's going on?
Ya gotta read the book to find out.
On a personal note, the day after Valentines Day was amazing too. It
was very social at UMaine. I went to a pancake breakfast in the
morning and a multicultural social with spririted conversation and
scrumptious Chinese food for lunch. Since I wasn't working I didn't
have to wear jeans. I wore my new cat shirt, a black skirt with pink
polka dots, a pink long sweater, leggings, and cat earrings. Everyone
was telling me how pretty I was and what a cool outfit I'd put
together. Some had never seen me in anything but my uniform. But
what really made my day, my week, my month was that my manager whom I
totally look up to gave me the sweetest teddy bear. I felt like
champagne (not blood) ran through my veins. J.J. (the bear) has a
place of honor in my studio.
A great big shout out goes out to Jodi.
jules hathaway





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