This spring my freshmen classes read LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds. We had read MOCKINGBIRD early in the semester, and even though Lee's novel is powerful, I wanted to include a full-length text (this one a collection of poems) written by a contemporary author of color. If you haven't read it, Will, the fifteen-year-old protagonist living in the inner city, is faced with a dilemma when his older brother (his hero) is shot. Will knows there are three rules: Don't cry. Don't snitch. Get revenge. Although Will is a reflective, sweet kid, he gets his brother's gun from his drawer and heads off to kill who he thinks killed his Shawn. Half the text is a long elevator ride with familiar ghosts who offer perspectives on violence. It's powerful. (Shout out to my sister Jill, a retired math teacher, for the recommendation!)
I saved LONG WAY DOWN for the almost end of the semester--right in the midst of our final poetry unit. We only had thirty copies, so we read it during class. I read some aloud; they read some of it aloud, and I let them read some on their own. Overall, they really liked it! Below are some of their comments. Following their comments, however, are poems the students wrote one day during class. Their poetry could just be in Reynold's style, echo one of the themes, or offer a continuation of the plot. DEMOGRAPHIC: My suburban Iowa freshmen clientele this year were mostly a bunch of white kids. Out of about 50, I had three students of color.
HERE ARE SOME KIDS' RESPONSES!
"I like how it showed the cycle of revenge. Also, I feel it shows how people handle grief. Overall it is a great book with an unknown ending."
"The plot line was harsh, however it's a good change from what we we're usually reading."
"I liked how it was serious and interesting. I know a lot of other people liked it too. I also like how it was overall formatted. It really just drags you in."
"Well, I don't really like poem books but it was cool that the elevator part all happened in 60 seconds."
"Plot-wise, I liked the themes of grief, revenge, and doubt."
"I disliked that it was dark, and the poetry style was odd."
"It gives a look into other peoples live that we might not experience. I think freshmen is a good level to read this because it is kind of an introduction to many real world problems."
"I feel it is a good quick introduction to poetry. It gives a very good view of what grief can look like, and feel like. "
HERE ARE SOME OF THEIR POEMS--we just took around 20 minutes in class at the end of the book to write these.
Poem 1:
Each step echoes with my brother's name.
A quiet promise thrums in my chest,
a pulse, steady and slow,
like the beating of the world before a storm.
Poem 2:
My hands are cold,
But my eyes burn with something
older than vengeance.
The night is thin,
hanging like a thread between worlds,
And I feel the weight of it,
The thin line
between me and the boy I once was.
Poem 3:
Riggs' apartment stands silent,
Like it knows what’s coming.
There’s no thrill in it,
only the hollow ache of knowing
that nothing will bring Shawn back.
_______________________________________
The
Sky
Bleeds
Gold,
The
Day
Lets
Go,
As
Twilight
Whispers
Soft
And
Slow,
A
Fiery
Kiss,
The
Suns
Goodbye,
It
Pains
The
World,
Then
Fades
To
Sigh. ]
_______________________________________________
THE ELEVATOR DOORS UNFOLD
As a black cloud of smoke emerged into the air
The others step around me
Leading the way
Out
Out of what felt like a nightmare
Almost
As if I never woke up that morning
And I had stayed in bed
Eyes still fastened shut
I wish that were true
If that were true
I could go along with my day
Like nothing
Ever
Happened
__________________________________________
SOME PEOPLE WILL TELL YOU
That the brain lives another
Seven minutes
After you
Die
Replaying
All of the best moments
In your life
Maybe that’s what’s happening to me
Maybe none of this is real
Maybe I died there on the concrete
That same day
Lying next to
Lifeless
Shawn
__________________________________________
And Then It Dropped
like when an elevator reaches its 0
the gears shifting down to their final level,
I step out of the smokebox
into the world of death,
it was time,
time that marked the death.
Not mine
but his.
Walking to the front,
loading the tail
aimed, shot, Crack!
It was a loaded bomb
but one that’s already lit,
Death became my revenge,
Until it didn’t.
________________________________________
The walk
The walk home was cold and lonely,
As im walking a rain drop lands on my face
Drip
Drip
Drip
I keep walking as I think about my choice,
Was it right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
Right
I turn the final corner on the way home
Head heavy,
Soaked from the rain,
Gun still in my waistband
Did I make the right choice?
Should I turn around and do it?
As I think that I remember what Shawn would do
Mistakes last forever,
Choices are permanent,
I walk inside,
And put the gun down
--------------------------------------------------------
There was realization
I failed the task.
No bullet broke skin,
only regret.
It was too late,
death’s grasp was too strong.
Riggs caught me before I could catch him.
No revenge could be settled,
only justice and a funeral could remember us:
Shawn & Me.
WHAT NOW?
________________________________________
MY EARS WERE RINGING
from what I had heard over
a hundred times.
I didn't feel it at first,
not until I stumbled
to my knees.
I could feel something coming
out of my body,
red and hot,
seeping through Shawns
oversized tee.
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I know some of you HAVE to love to write!!! What is going through your midsummer mind about teaching English, working with AP, personal reading, professional reading, writing that novel, philosophy of teaching English? If you are writing a novel or book, I'd love to hear about it! If you hate that you can't stop thinking about school, why do you do that? Write about it! Use YOUR voice, etc. Just maybe 300-700 words--a rant, a reflection, some wisdom?
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