Long Way Down: Jayson Reynolds

Long Way Down: Jayson Reynolds
Introduction
Jayson Reynolds is the author of several books that have received positive reviews from critics. He has written books like ‘Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks,’ ‘All American Boys,’ ‘Long Way Down,’ and ‘Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You.’ His authorship is not limited to books, but he has also proven to be an incredible poet. His target audience has mainly been young people, especially teenagers and young adults. One of Reynolds’ novels that received resounding applause from his audience and beyond is ‘Long Way Down.’ This novel is based on a character named Will who, upon seeing his brother dead, thought it best to do the ‘noble hood’ duty of avenging him. Through this novel, Reynolds wanted to reach out to young African American boys, teenagers and young adults. He wanted them to feel like their stories were understood by someone who looked like them. He hoped to strike a connection with this particular audience and speak to their daily struggles in their neighborhoods. Having been raised in similar conditions and situations as Will, Reynolds hoped that his search for an audience would materialize in young African American teenagers and adults.
The novel was well received and even won awards. Larsen (2) notes that ‘Long Way Down’ won several awards, including the Printz and Newbery Honor awards. These awards are a testament to the genius of Reynolds, who is all but sending an appeal to all teenagers and young adults about restraint in this classic. From the novel, it is clear that his mission is to pierce through the shallow perceptions often adopted regarding the young kids who pick up and use guns. Therefore, provided herein is an essay showcasing how to a large extent, Reynolds strives to counter the narrative that young kids are killers, gangsters, criminals, and thugs. However, he falls short of his goal on a few occasions, given that the novel has a few episodes where young kids continue to demonstrate the same aspects Reynolds counters.
Reynolds perfectly paints Will as a scared boy who is simply a victim of his surroundings and circumstances and not the vengeful gun-wielding he was pretending to be. He makes a strong case for the audience to see beyond the crime and murders and to engage with the individual. He makes a loud and convincing attempt to deviate from the propagated rhetoric that seeks to castigate these young men and dim their light even further by not recognizing their struggles. In the novel, Reynolds explains that Will only had his mother and brother with him and, therefore, introduces the absence of a father figure in his life (Reynolds, 6). Further down, he paints a picture of Will and his friend Tony having a conversation about their future and whether they would grow any taller (10). The two even talk about Tony, a great ballplayer who seemingly has a bright future ahead of him. In another instance, Reynolds mentions the rules of the neighborhood and how Will had become a victim of the same rules. In the neighborhood, revenge is expected. “If someone you love gets killed, find the person who killed them and kill them” (32). However, though th...