Bibliographic Information:
Title: Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel
Author: Jason Reynolds and Danica Novgorodoff
ISBN: 9781534444966
Publisher: Atheneum/ Simon and Schuster
Copyright Date: 2020
Genre: Realistic fiction, verse
Format: Graphic novel
Awards or Honors: Original book: Walter Dean Myers Award winner, Printz Award Honor book, Newbery Honor book, National Book Award longlist, Edgar Allen Poe Award winner
Reading Level/Interest Level: 12+
Plot Summary: Will’s brother is shot right in front of him, and he knows what he has to do: not cry, not snitch, and put whoever killed Shawn in a body bag. He’s never even shot a gun before, but he finds a pistol in Shawn’s drawer, and after a bitter, heartbroken night, heads out to kill the person he is sure killed his brother.
But as he heads down in the elevator, someone gets in on each floor, someone with a message for him about violence, revenge, and what it means to be a man. As the elevator fills up with smoke and regret, Will has a decision to make.
Author Background: I’ve written about Jason Reynolds here. Danica Novgorodoff is a Brooklyn-based artist and writer who has been a fellow at the McDowell Colony, the New York Foundation of the Arts, and a writer in residence at Sarabande books. She has written multiple graphic novels as well as collaborating with authors to illustrate their work in book form as well as illustrating articles in publications such as Esquire, Slate, and ArtForum. She is currently working on a graphic novel about climate change.
Critical Evaluation: While the original is a treasure, this graphic novel adaptation is well worth reading itself. Novgorodoff has slimmed down the text, carefully chosen, and illustrated with exquisite watercolors. No other medium can express the bloom of blood across a shirt or smoke filling an elevator like breath quite as well. Even the bite of the watercolor paper is perfectly captured, giving each page a weightiness it deserves. Text is carefully placed for maximum impact and clarity, and Reynolds’ words are pure poetry.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Inspired by Novgorodoff’s beautiful paintings, host a watercolor workshop for young poets. A local artist can teach watercolor basics, and participants can pair images with their poems for artworks that can be displayed in the library.
Speed-Round Book Talk: Will has to avenge his brother’s death. But as he takes the long way down in an elevator, his spirits—and his gun—start to weigh heavy on him. Can Will escape his history?
Reason for Inclusion: Jason Reynolds is such a powerful writer, and this grapples with some serious issues (gun violence, the echoes of trauma, and toxic masculinity) in a way that can draw in even the most reluctant reader. Offering it in graphic novel form will make it even more engaging for readers, and adding layers for those who are already fans of the book. It’s also a relatively rare YA book featuring a Black, male protagonist.
Want more? Here’s Jason Reynolds reading the first part of the book:
References
Berry, M. (n.d.). Long way down: The graphic novel [review]. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/long-way-down-the-graphic-novel
Kirkus (September 1, 2020). Long way down: The graphic novel [review]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-reynolds/long-way-down-graphic-novel/
Novgorodoff, D. (n.d.). About. Retrieved from https://www.danicanovgorodoff.com/about
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