by Jason Reynolds
Atheneum, 2017, Young Adult Fiction, 306 p.
This book in free verse starts when Will sees his brother, Shawn, get shot on the streets of an inner city. As he is left by himself to deal with his grief he remembers "the three rules"; don`t cry, don't snitch and get revenge. He manages the first and the second, and tries to steel himself to do the third. He believes he knows who killed his brother so he finds his brother's gun and gets into the elevator to go out and do the deed. As he starts down, the elevator door opens on different floors admitting people from Will's past who all died through gun violence. As they tell their stories the reader sees the senseless loss that results from following "the rules".
This
is the first time in a while that I finished a book and had to say
"Wow!" I have enjoyed several Jason Alexander books before but this one
was Amazing! It has such a powerful message written in totally
accessible language. It is rich in imagery too. This is one an English
teacher could really sink her teeth into, but even a reluctant teen reader could enjoy. It truly deserves all the awards it received when it came out in 2017.
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