Long Way Down

This YA ghost story (1 hour and 43 minutes) was published in February of 2020 by Audible studios. The audiobook takes you to an unforgettable elevator ride. listened to Long Way Down and loved it; it wouldn't be on our site if didn't recommend it.

amazon
buy
bookshop.org
buy

Bookshop.org is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support independent bookstores and give back to the book community.

rule

Long Way Down

Audiobook

Jason Reynolds

This remarkable novel — told in verse — is like a mashup of A Christmas Carol and Boyz N the Hood, a gripping story of the things that haunt us, the weight of doing what’s right, and how a whole life can change in an instant.

Will is 15 years old, and his beloved brother Shawn was just murdered. Will knows the rules all too well: No crying. No snitching. Get revenge. So he tucks a gun into his waistband, leaves his seventh-floor apartment to get on the elevator, and rallies his resignation to what’s about to happen.

But ‘what’s about to happen’ is not anything he could have anticipated. On the one-minute ride to the ground floor, he’s joined by ghosts who talk to him about what’s come before and what might come next.

Author Jason Reynolds was a poet before he was a novelist, and his words are a direct hit to the solar plexus. Fierce, vibrant, and with an undeniable forward momentum, this is an entertaining — and sobering — examination of teenage gun violence and the challenges of being a kid in this world, at this time.

The verse leaps off the page and into your heart, and/but we love the audiobook narrated by the author. We recommend listening to the audiobook while you read along for a fully immersive, multimedia experience.

I FELT LIKE CRYING

which felt like another person

trapped behind my face

tiny fists punching the backs of my eyes

feet kicking my throat at the spot where the swallow starts.

Stay put, I whispered to him,

Stay strong, I whispered to me.

Because crying is against

The Rules. — Jason Reynolds

keep reading

Hauntings are usually reserved for people who's had time to develop regrets. In this gripping verse novel, the ghosts arrive in plenty of time to help a young hero make a good, difficult choice before it's too late.
In this episode, we revel in that delicious tingle up the back of the neck, courtesy of the undead, that reminds us we're alive. Plus, candy, bonfires, costumes, and books. SO MANY BOOKS that celebrate Halloween.

sharing is caring!

Wanna help us spread the word? If you like this page, please share with your friends.

our mission

Strong Sense of Place is a website and podcast dedicated to literary travel and books we love. Reading good books increases empathy. Empathy is good for all of us and the amazing world we inhabit.

our patreon

Strong Sense of Place is a listener-supported podcast. If you like the work we do, you can help make it happen by joining our Patreon! That'll unlock bonus content for you, too — including Mel's secret book reviews and Dave's behind-the-scenes notes for the latest Two Truths and a Lie.

get our newsletter
We'll never share your email with anyone else. Promise.

This is a weekly email. If you'd like a quick alert whenever we update our blog, subscribe here.

no spoilers. ever.

We'll share enough detail to help you decide if a book is for you, but we'll never ruin plot twists or give away the ending.

super-cool reading fun
reading atlas

This 30-page Reading Atlas takes you around the world with dozens of excellent books and gorgeous travel photos. Get your free copy when you subscribe to our newsletter.

get our newsletter
We'll never share your email with anyone else. Promise.
follow us

Content on this site is ©2024 by Smudge Publishing, unless otherwise noted. Peace be with you, person who reads the small type.