Long Way Down

Will’s brother Shawn was shot the day before, and according to the code of the neighbourhood, Will must kill the shooter. As he takes the elevator down to take his revenge, it stops on some floors and a ghost, who was the victim of gun violence and important in Shawn’s life, gets on. The novel is then told through the 60 seconds of interaction between the ghosts and Shawn, but the ending is left open—does Will decide to kill the shooter or not. This timely novel written in verse, for grades 9-12, deals with current issues of gun violence, being a black teenager in America, and social justice, and will appeal to and engage students, and encourage meaningful discussion.