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How It Went Down (2014)

by Kekla Magoon(Favorite Author)

3.9 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1627791590 (ISBN13: 9781627791595)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction

publisher

Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

review 1: There is such beauty here. The story of an act of violence, the shooting of a young Black man, is told through the many voices of community members who witnessed the event. I was pulled in because of the language and the sense of community present in the text. Though some teachers shudder at the profanity, I find honesty, diversity, reality, and creativity in the cast of characters and would certainly place it on my classroom bookshelf, plus plan to pull some excerpts from the texts to teach that there is power in breaking grammatical rules with purpose and intention. The book kept me up at night. Though I wish some "truths" to have been different for the characters, it shows that all situations are complex, and that the death of young people in our communities must b... moree acknowledged, discussed and mourned.
review 2: I really enjoyed the realistic quality of this book, as I believe many kids can relate to its contents. It's definitely a look into choices and what can come from them, both good and bad. I felt the characters were very relatable, but thought the use of language to be a bit over the top. I've enjoyed Magoon's past literature, but this is definitely more on the YA side rather than middle grades which are the grades in which I'm used to recommending her work. I thought the transitions between points of view and getting the different perspectives on the same situation was well-done. less

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