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How It Went Down

How It Went Down

Current price: $19.99
Publication Date: October 21st, 2014
Publisher:
Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
ISBN:
9780805098693
Pages:
336

Description

A 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

One death. Two bullets. Seven eyewitnesses...with seven different stories.

When sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson dies from two gunshot wounds, his community is thrown into an uproar. Tariq was black. The shooter, Jack Franklin, is white.

In the aftermath of Tariq's death, everyone has something to say, but no two accounts of the events line up. Day by day, new twists further obscure the truth.

Tariq's friends, family, and community struggle to make sense of the tragedy, and to cope with the hole left behind when a life is cut short. In their own words, they grapple for a way to say with certainty: This is how it went down.

This title has Common Core connections.

About the Author

Kekla Magoon writes novels and nonfiction books for teens, including 37 Things I Love, The Rock and the River, How It Went Down, Light It Up, and Revolution in Our Time: The Black Panther Party’s Promise to the People, which was a National Book Award Finalist, LA Times Book Prize Finalist, and Michael L. Printz Honor book. Kekla received the 2021 Margaret A. Edwards Award for her significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature. Past recognitions include a Boston Globe/Horn Book Award, an NAACP Image Award, and four Coretta Scott King Honors. She holds a BA from Northwestern University and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. When she is not writing, Kekla can be found entertaining a pair of energetic orange cats or riding her bike through the hills of Vermont.

Praise for How It Went Down

* “Magoon masterfully captures the cycle of urban violence and the raw emotions of the young people who can't escape its impact.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

*How It Went Down is a snapshot in time, a fascinating study of people caught in the crosshairs of an "Event." . . . A particularly timely tale that can create dialogue and provide understanding about the decisions other people make, and the actions they take.” —VOYA, starred review

* “This sobering yet satisfying novel leaves readers to ponder the complex questions it raises.” —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The many voices provide poignant insights into the forces at play in the impoverished neighborhoods, where joining a gang is tough to resist, but the various perspectives also offer compelling and plausible insights into the way perceptions and preconceptions shape narratives and affect our actions.” —BCCB

“The layered voices tell a story both simple and complicated, heartbreaking and maddening.” —The Chicago Tribune

“Kekla Magoon's books just keep getting better….It's an important, compelling story that everyone should read, especially high school students trying to make sense of our supposed post-racial world.” —BookPage, A Teen Top Pick

“In How It Went Down, Kekla Magoon deftly renders us witnesses to an all-too-common news flash in uncommon, unflinching prose. Gripping to the end.” —Rita Williams-Garcia Newbery Honor winner, National Book Award finalist, and Coretta Scott King Award winner

“A hard-hitting look at the ripple effects of one act of violence on an entire community. How It Went Down is engrossing and real--it's the right book at the right time.” —Coe Booth, LA Times Book Prize winner

“Thoughtful and compassionate, beautifully composed, this book takes us inside what we think we know and shows us more.” —Helen Frost, Printz Honor winner

“A powerful novel that will resonate with fans of Myster's Monster and Woodson's Miracle's Boys.” —The Horn Book

“Kekla Magoon's How It Went Down about a black teen who is shot by a white man, is . . . just the right title for young adults grappling with the headlines streaming in every day.” —School Library Journal

“Heartbreaking and unputdownable.” —School Library Journal