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Ghosts on the Ride Down

Please note that this episode contains depictions of violence that some people may find disturbing.

Hello again, this is Miriam Scott from Amarillo Texas.

Last time I shared with you that in our book Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, the protagonist Will, a 15-year-old boy, is on his way to exact revenge on who he believes killed his brother Shawn.

How does a 15-year-old get his idea? It is the way he was raised. In the poor neighborhood he grows up in, gang violence and police brutality are the norm. This leads to three rules that Will knows and follows after his brother is killed.

Rule #1 I mentioned last time, no crying. Ever. Showing weakness can be dangerous in this neighborhood.

Rule #2 no snitching. As in do not talk to the police. This also can be dangerous when noticed by the community.

And finally rule #3. Get revenge.

Will fought hard not to cry. Will did not talk to the cops. And now Will seeks revenge. He made up his mind on who he thinks killed his brother, a man named Riggs. He grabs his brother’s gun, leaves his apartment and gets into the elevator. The rest of the book takes place in this elevator. What should have been a quick ride to the lobby of his building, turns into a long way down.

Because Will is visited by ghosts. The first one, named Buck, he knew as the man who took his brother under his wing when their dad was killed. He remembers Buck’s memorial. And then Buck reminds him that he gave this gun to Will’s brother and what is he thinking about doing with it? He questions Will’s ability to take revenge, did he even check that the gun was loaded? Buck takes the gun from him, teasing him, but ultimately gives it back to him. Will has been scared ever since he realized who entered the elevator, but of course cannot admit it at first.

But soon the events override his need to appear strong. He writes:

I take it back.
I was scared.
What if he had come
to get me,
to take me
with him?
What if he had come
to catch
my breath?

Even though Will grew up surrounded by gun violence, he’s only 15 and just now considered he might die as well.

The first shooting he witnessed was when he was only 8. He was in the playground, on the monkey bars playing with a girl his age. This girl, now appearing to be Will’s age again, steps into the elevator next. It takes a while, but finally she manages to remind him of who she is. Her name is Dani. He remembers her kissing him, and then he writes:

Gunshots
like firecrackers
coming from everywhere.
Dani said her body burned
and all she wanted to do was
jump outside of herself,
swing to somewhere else
like we pretended to do
On monkey bars.

8-year-olds are being shot on monkey bars. After innocently kissing a friend. You don’t hear this on the news.

This was Miriam Scott for the HPPR Radio Readers Book Club, hope you tune in again next time.

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Fall Read 2024: Through The Eyes Of A Child 2024 Fall ReadHPPR Radio Readers Book Club
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