Jason Reynolds is an African American poet that works to inspire the upcoming generations. He was born in D.C. on December 6th 1983, and grew up in Oxen Hill, MD At the young age of 9, Jason was starting to write poetry, rap music was his biggest inspiration. That was all from the rhyme, rhythm, & lyricism of Queen Latifah, particularly her 1993 album Black Reign. But around that time he stopped reading as well, he felt that he couldn’t find representation or inspiration in the books he was reading in school.
He ended up finding authors Richard Wright, Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, and Toni Morrison, although it was years later. He says that he didn't read a novel front to back until he was 17. Then at 19 one of his best friends got murdered. He said that him and his friend group went to the friend's house to plan the killing of his murderer. The friend’s mother talked them out of it. He recounts how that much of intense anger was blinding him to such a violent act. He went on to receive his bachelor's degree from Maryland in English in 2005. He and his friend Jason Griffin worked on an autobiography together in Brooklyn called “My Name is Jason. Mine Too” Reynolds wrote the poems & Griffin made the artwork. The book didn’t exactly sell good so Reynolds had to live out of his car and only had odd jobs here and there. He kept his nose to the grindstone and didn’t stop writing. He published “When I Was the Greatest” in 2014 and ended up winning a newcomer award. 
 A Long Way Down is a free verse book about this 15 year old boy named Will. His older brother Shawn was killed. He goes to get revenge for his brother, and as he's heading down the elevator it stops at each of the 7 floors before reaching the lobby. A person from Will's past that also were victims of gun violence, walk in the elevator at each stop. It's said that the free verse poems are told in a very raw, powerful, emotional depiction of urban violence. (Kirkus) It goes on, to point out the symbolism in the book. There's 15 bullets in the gun and how the elevator rules are similar to 'street' rules. Someone from Bookreporter wrote "With his trademark brilliance...Reynolds crafts a painful, enlightening story that no reader will want to miss..." The experience with his friend dying when he was 19 is what inspired him to write this free verse book. This research into Jason Reynolds has been very interesting to me. Jason target’s the young adult, old teen type of reader, which I fall right into. From the reviews on his other works, what his website says, and an interview with Jimmy Falon; he really seems to understand & advocate for mental health awareness. And when he was younger he says he was a reluctant reader, it also took him awhile to read a book fully. For me personally I find it kind of funny to be able to relate to an author of all people, on being a reluctant reader. That also peaked my interest because I feel becoming an author as a reluctant reader would make your writing style unique. Everyone seems to praise Jasons ability to tell a story in such an untraditional way, but still be able to captivate and hook the reader. I ended up checking out A Long Way Down from the Bloom library because Jason Reynolds story and his peer reviews has got me interested. I’m especially excited to read to this book because I know the real life story that inspired this book. WORKS CITED “LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds | Kirkus Reviews.” Kirkus Reviews, 2015, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-reynolds/long-way-down-reynolds/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2026. D. Books, Caitlyn, and Atheneum. Bookreporter, 2 Apr. 2019, https://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/long-way-down-0. Reynolds, Jason Twenty-Four Seconds From Now… Simon and Schuster 2025. Reynolds, Jason. Twenty-Four Seconds from Now . . . Simon and Schuster, 2024, https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-reynolds/twenty-four-seconds-from-now/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2026. “Jason Reynolds.” Britannica Kids, https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Jason-Reynolds/630934. Accessed 25 Sept. 2026. McCollum, Sean. “Meet Author Jason Reynolds.” Kennedy-Center.Org, edited by Lisa Resnick, 6 Oct. 2021, https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/literary-arts/meet-author-jason-reynolds/. Dillon, Melanie. “Twenty-Four Seconds From Now by Jason Reynolds.” School Reading List, 15 Sept. 2024, https://schoolreadinglist.co.uk/childrens-book-reviews/twenty-four-seconds-from-now/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2026. Reynolds, Jason. “Jason Reynolds.” Jason Reynolds, 2014, https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/. Accessed 25 Sept. 2026. |
I really like how you went with a poet, it’s a different medium and can be played with a lot more such as telling the story backwards in a smooth way. It’s also really inspiring for someone who hadn’t read a book fully until they were 17, and had come back from an intensely dark place when his friend passed to come out and express themselves to this degree.
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