4.45 AVERAGE


Wow. I don’t know what I was expecting, but this completely exceeded it. This graphic novel was emotional, heartbreaking, and powerful. It explores the devastating cycles of gun violence and how one single act of violence / revenge can create a ripple effect that changes everything forever.
I will absolutely be picking up the full-length novel Long Way Down next.

πŸ…πŸ„°πŸ…ƒπŸ„ΈπŸ„½πŸ„Ά : 5

πŸ„΅πŸ„ΎπŸ… πŸ…πŸ„΄πŸ„°πŸ„³πŸ„΄πŸ…πŸ…‚ πŸ…†πŸ„·πŸ„Ύ πŸ„»πŸ„ΈπŸ„ΊπŸ„΄ 

β˜† Graphic Novel
β˜† Grief / Mourning 
β˜† Internal Conflict
β˜† Flashback Storytelling
β˜† Ambiguous Ending

πŸ„΅πŸ„°πŸ……πŸ„ΎπŸ…πŸ„ΈπŸ…ƒπŸ„΄ πŸ…‚πŸ„²πŸ„΄πŸ„½πŸ„΄

The elevator ride down to the lobby. 

πŸ„΅πŸ„°πŸ……πŸ„ΎπŸ…πŸ„ΈπŸ…ƒπŸ„΄ πŸ…€πŸ…„πŸ„ΎπŸ…ƒπŸ„΄ 

"but if the blood inside you is on the inside of someone else, you never want to see it on the outside of them."

"The rules weren't meant to be broken. They were meant for the broken to follow." 
dark reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No
dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark inspiring reflective slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

I wonder if my response to this book would be different if I had read the actual book and not the graphic novel. The artwork in this novel is emotional & dramatic and follows the story line of an African-American youth whose brother was murdered. What it reveals is a trend of a never-ending pattern of violence. When the youth decides to live by "the rules", he begins the journey to avenge his brother's death. On the way down in the elevator, the boy encounters a different person on each floor. Each person was an individual who had died within the young boy's life to gun violence. The amount of death leaves a lasting impression on the reader and the young boy must make a decision of whether he will follow "the rules".
emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: N/A
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Having this already powerful novel in verse brought even more to life in comic form is awesome for readers.

Another masterpiece from Jason Reynolds. I loved the original novel & I'm thinking I may love the graphic novel version more. So much symbolism packed into the illustrations & so many lines of text read like poetry! This is a must-read for kids & adults alike.

(By the way......it took me exactly 30 minutes to read the whole book, cover to cover.)
dark emotional tense fast-paced

I read this book several years ago - actually I listened to the audio version read by the author, and it was amazing. I decided that is definitely the way to go to feel the power of the story. Then, I read this graphic novel version and I was blown away again. The way the illustrator was able to capture the mood and feeling is incredibly powerful and I recommend it without reservation! 

FR
Je ne connaissais absolument pas ce livre, je ne connaissais pas son existence.. On me l'a largement recommandé, me prévenant qu'il y aurait des CW; mais je n'ai pas demandé lesquels. On m'a dit que si j'étais un peu sensible (ce qui est le cas, selon les sujets), de lire la version graphique car un tantinet "moins" intense. C'est donc ce que j'ai fait. Et c'était vraiment intéressant et très puissant. Je ne regrette absolument pas, et je pense lire l'oeuvre d'origine prochainement !!! En tout temps, ce genre de livre est important, mais encore + à l'heure actuelle.. Alors, si vous le pouvez, foncez !!!

ENG
I didn't know this book at all, I didn't know it existed. It was widely recommended to me, warning me that there would be CWs; but I didn't ask which ones. I was told that if I was a little sensitive (which is the case, depending on the subjects), to read the graphic version because it was a little "less" intense. So that's what I did. And it was really interesting and very powerful. I have absolutely no regrets, and I plan to read the original work soon !!! At all times, this kind of book is important, but even more so at the present time.. So, if you can, go for it !!!