How It Went Down

While walking home from the corner store, sixteen-year-old African-American Tariq Johnson is shot on the street by Jack Franklin, a white adult. When Tariq dies and Jack is not charged with murder as he claims it was self-defense, the characters most affected by Tariq’s death give their own opinions about the event and it becomes evident that what exactly happened is unclear but everyone wants and needs to know how Tariq’s death went down. This timely novel for grades 8-12 is suitable for read-aloud, literature circle, or independent reading and deals with current issues of cross-cultural violence, racism, cultural differences, gangs, relationships, and value systems.