For the High Plains Public Radio Readers Book Club, I’m Shane Timson in Colby, Kansas. Today’s book is Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds. This tells the story about a 15 year old boy who is now faced with the shooting death of his brother. We don’t know where they live, but it is obvious that gang violence is a way of life.
His older brother was going out to get his mother’s eczema cream – something he’s done many times. Now, though, the convenience store where he’s been before is now gang territory. He crossed into the gang territory and was killed. Fifteen year old Will is now grappling with the death of his older brother.
We learn of “the rules.” The rules are, “Don’t be a snitch.” We see that evident because when the police are asking when the gunshots go off and everybody is scurrying, “Does anybody know anything?” And, no – nobody knew anything because everybody knows, you don’t tell the police, even if you saw something.
Don’t cry. No matter how bad it is, don’t cry. There are times Will wants to cry, but he suppresses it.
And then there is the biggest rule, the rule that we are discussing in this book – revenge. If somebody kills someone that you love, you must find them and kill them. In other words, “an eye for an eye.” So, Will is now tasked with bringing his brother’s killer to justice. Now he’s never fired a gun in his life, but he finds his brother’s gun and he makes his plan. He believes he knows who is brother’s killer is and that he knows where the killer lives. We find Will on his way to take care of his brother’s killer.
Now, this is a very short book. I don’t want to give it away. I hope that you’ll read it, so I’m not going to go too much further into the book because there’s really not much else to say without giving it away, but I will say that I think this book does, or at least what it did for me.
It makes me think. Now, let’s be honest, out here on the High Plains, we don’t have gang violence. We don’t have to worry about getting shot down when going to the store. It’s something we hear about on the news, but we ourselves have probably never been faced with it. I lived in Kansas City. I’ve heard gun shots, but I’ve never been shot at, so I can’t even begin to realize or say that I even understand what Will is going through in the book.
Here's where I think this book can touch you and I. See, the problem is that they believe in these rules. The rule of killing is in their code. They truly believe that if you kill my friend or my family member, then I must find you and kill you.
See, all of the gun laws in the world will not change this problem. We can add hundreds of more government programs but that isn’t going to solve the problem because there is only one thing that can solve this problem and that is not the government. It’s a heart change. These people only know what they’ve been taught.
Don’t cry. It’s a bad emotion. Don’t do it. Don’t be a snitch. You know, we say, “See something. Say something.” That doesn’t happen there.
We must have a heart change.
You look at the first murder recorded in history, Cain and Abel. There were no guns. There were no government programs. Abel was killed because Cain was jealous. Cain needed a heart change.
So what I believe we must do as a society is follow the Golden Rule. Do unto others. I want to be treated with love, kindness, and respect so I do my best to treat others with love, kindness and respect even when they don’t do the same to me. And that’s how we are going to change hearts. That’s how we can reach people who have this mentality of kill or be killed.
Again, gun laws won’t change it. The bad guys will always get the guns. We – you and I – must show kindness to everyone, even when they don’t show it to us. I’m not saying it’s easy but I believe that’s how we can truly see real, lasting change.
