By Jason Reynolds
When Will's older brother Shawn is shot and killed, Will knows the rules--no crying, no snitching, get revenge. And so, the next day, Will gets Shawn's gun and hops on the elevator in his apartment building, set on finding the guy he knows shot Shawn. However, over the course of the next 60 seconds, the elevator stops at each floor of the building, and each time, someone gets on--and in each case, it's someone Will cares about who has been shot to death, making him think about what he's on his way to do and how it has come about.
Dang. Wow. Holy cow.
This book is POWERFUL.
It's written in verse--I know some people don't care for novels in verse, but I like them and this one is amazing. Each word is perfect. I've never actually heard of Jason Reynolds before, and after reading this book, I realize I've totally been missing out because he is a phenomenally talented writer. There are so many beautiful crafted passages in this book. Here are a couple favorites:
"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."
"Another thing about the rules
They weren't meant to be broken.
They were meant for the broken
to follow."
"How do you small-talk your father
when 'dad' is a language so foreign
that whenever you try to say it,
it feels like you got a third lip
and a second tongue?"
"Spent my whole damn life
missing a misser.
That disappointed me."
The message of this book is so powerful. It captures an important theme and event that will resonate with a lot of readers but the idea of the ghosts from Will's past visit in the elevator is so unique and really packs a punch. This book easily makes my Best of 2017 list. 5 stars.
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