Jason Reynolds has gotten my blood pumping in this unputdownable, never forgettable, utterly conscious altering work of genius. Will is just a 15 year old boy grieving the loss of his older brother Shawn. He has grown up with a set of rules: 1. No crying, 2. No Snitching 3. Revenge. And will goes to seek his revenge. However, he has the longest lasting elevator ride ever. Each floor someone new gets on the elevator, and it causes Will to question everything he knows and believes.

This book is written entirely in verse. It is so masterfully done you speed read to know what happens next. At times this book makes me think of the movie Scrooged with the ghosts of christmas past telling you in a mocking sort of what, that what you knew was not always correct. This is life. Life in an area I have never experienced. But Jason Reynold put me in this life body and soul. I could talk about this novel for longer than I spent reading it. I would love to talk it over with current 15 year olds, to see how it stands up to their experiences. Its a moving and powerful work that I am sure to read again and again.