'Long Way Down' (featuring guest and author Jason Reynolds)

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Jason Reynolds himself about his new book Long Way Down.

The book follows a minute in the life of Will, the day after his brother Shawn is murdered. In a quest for vengence, Will steps onto an elevator with a gun, on his way down to find the man that he thinks is responsible for his brother's death. However, as Will tries to make the long trip down, the elevator keeps stopping floor-by-floor, forcing Will to confront the ghosts of his past. "Every time the door opens, somebody gets on the elevator, and this person who gets on is somebody who [Will] knows. But what he also knows is that that person is deceased, that person is dead, and therein lies the rub."

Or put more succinctly: "It's A Christmas Carol meets Boyz n the Hood," jokes Jason.

Join us this week as we talk with Jason himself about 'Long Way Down."

And as always, we end the show with recommendations:
Jason recommends 'Sing, Unburied, Sing' by Jesmyn Ward. "I personally think [Jesmyn] is the greatest writer in the 21st century."

This week on the MashReads Podcast, we chat with Jason Reynolds himself about his new book Long Way Down.

The book follows a minute in the life of Will, the day after his brother Shawn is murdered. In a quest for vengence, Will steps onto an elevator with a gun, on his way down to find the man that he thinks is responsible for his brother's death. However, as Will tries to make the long trip down, the elevator keeps stopping floor-by-floor, forcing Will to confront the ghosts of his past. "Every time the door opens, somebody gets on the elevator, and this person who gets on is somebody who [Will] knows. But what he also knows is that that person is deceased, that person is dead, and therein lies the rub."

Or put more succinctly: "It's A Christmas Carol meets Boyz n the Hood," jokes Jason.

Join us this week as we talk with Jason himself about 'Long Way Down."

And as always, we end the show with recommendations:

Jason recommends 'Sing, Unburied, Sing' by Jesmyn Ward. "I personally think [Jesmyn] is the greatest writer in the 21st century."