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Jason Reynolds Commentary on book, Long Way Down

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Jason Reynolds Commentary on book, Long Way Down

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In this profile piece, author of Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds, discusses the nature of his book. Not only does Reynolds discuss how his story interacts with the hardship surrounding gun violence, but he also highlights the importance of students seeing themselves (and their lives) in the books that they read and offering a variety of novels for young readers.

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Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning

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In this opinion piece, people from all over the country have a chance to weigh-in and debate about the issue of gun control and if guns are truly dangerous.

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Are guns inherently dangerous? Voice your opinion now.

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How U.S. Gun Deaths And Mass Shootings Compare To Other Countries | NBC News Now

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How U.S. Gun Deaths And Mass Shootings Compare To Other Countries | NBC News Now

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In this video created by NBC News Now, NBC details information about the horrific statistics of gun violence in the United States. In order to emphasize the epidemic, NBC compares these statistics and events to other countries.

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How U.S. Gun Deaths And Mass Shootings Compare To Other Countries | NBC News Now

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Sandy Hook Promise: Gun Violence Warning Sign

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Sandy Hook Promise: Gun Violence Warning Sign

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A video created by Sandy Hook Promise, a nonprofit organization aimed to stop gun violence and educate others about the warning signs of behavior that can lead to violence. This video is aimed at showing how easy it is to miss the warning signs of gun violence. Additionally, this video tends to curb the implicit bias that makes one asssume who would commit the act of violence.

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Sandy Hook Promise: Gun violence warning signs

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In this incredibly moving talk, Aaron Stark describes the life he endured that almost pushed him into the title of, "school shooter". After describing how easy it was for him to access a gun; Stark's talk proves that sometimes it is simply the act of a friend who cares that can suey someone away from doing great harm to others and themselves.

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I Was Almost A School Shooter | Aaron Stark | TEDxBoulder

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In this article, author T. Elijah Hawkes, principal at a high school in Vermont, talks about his stance on students walking out of school in protest. After being made aware of a national "Walk Out Day" in protest for safer schools and gun control, Hawkes encouraged students to walk out but without his permission; hoping to teach the importance of civil duty and accepting "consequences" of rightful civil disobedience.

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Permission to Walk Out: They Didn't Ask, I Didn't Give It

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This principal issued over 100 discipline referrals last week-and he couldn't be more proud.

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While a catchy song, the lyrics of Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People has been analyzed to detail the events of a school shooting and the life of a school shooter. Often overlooked, this song details how the lives of those similar to us can be more complex than they seem.

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[Verse 1]
Robert's got a quick hand
He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette
Hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid
Yeah, he found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet with a box of fun things
I don't even know what
But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you, wait

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet

[Verse 2]
Daddy works a long day
He be coming home late, and he's coming home late
And he's bringing me a surprise
'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice
I've waited for a long time
Yeah, the sleight of my hand is now a quick-pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
And say, "Your hair's on fire, you must've lost your wits," yeah

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet

[Bridge]
Run, run, run, run
Ru-ru-ru-run, run, run
Ru-ru-ru-ru-run, run, run, run
Ru-ru-ru-run
Run, run, ru-run, run

[Chorus]
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You better run, better run faster than my bullet

Robert, the main character and narrator of the song, dreams of violence towards his rich classmates and peers. The song details his plans and ambitions for a school shooting, diving deep into the causes of his emotions.

During a 2011 Rolling Stone interview, Foster said:

I was trying to get inside the head of an isolated, psychotic kid.

Although this song is peppy and upbeat, Foster uses this to mask the true meaning of the song, and makes for a beautiful yet haunting composition, a tension which he referenced in the same interview:

It's a 'fuck you' song to the hipsters in a way - but it's a song the hipsters are going to want to dance to.

Despite many believing that this song condones and encourages violence, Foster said otherwise in a 2011 USA Today interview:

The song is not about condoning violence at all. It's the complete opposite. The song is an amazing platform to have a conversation with your kids about something that shouldn't be ignored, to talk about it in a loving way.

Ask us a question about this song

What have the artists said about the song?

I kind of wrote the song to bring awareness to the issue. That sort of thing keeps happening more and more in our country; it's kind of turning into an epidemic. To me the epidemic isn't gun violence; the epidemic is lack of family, lack of love, and isolation - kids who don't have anywhere to go or anyone to talk to and that's what makes them snap.

If the band could've changed anything about the song,what would they've changed?

Yeah, I would've taken some of the choruses out. There's too many double choruses. That's the nature of putting a demo online. Usually, I would sit with a demo and listen to a song a hundred times and then when I go to record it for real, I would have a better idea of which parts feel kind of long and which parts make me lose interest or start to get annoying so I can tighten them up. But because that was the demo, I didn't have time to do that and once it became reactive, it didn't make sense to put a different version out. It's like, "Well, why would I change it? It's not broken." But that second chorus was something that always bothered me - it's already a long chorus so it didn't need to repeat, and then the end, the outro, it's the chorus three or four times in a row. It's just overkill. We've been playing it different live for years. I think we changed that the first year when we're playing it live, we never play double choruses."

- Via MTV (2019)

Is he talking about trying to kill these people?

As stated above, the song is about Robert who dreams of harming his peers, so, yes.

Pumped Up Kicks by Nicole Milik, Pumped Up Kicks by Panic! at the Disco, Pumped up kicks by Bre Kennedy, Pumped Up Kicks by Richard Cheese, Pumped Up Kicks by Katy McAllister, Pumped Up Kicks by Vitamin String Quartet, Heavydirtykicks by SLNTWLF, Ducked Up Lips by The Key of Awesome, PUMPED UP KICKS by 3TEETH, Circles by Niall Horan, Pumped Up Kicks by Breathe Electric, Putting a Spin on Pumped Up Kicks by Egg (mylifeisayolk), Pumped up Kicks by Tiffany Day & PUMPED/UP/KICKS by Dethradiorecords.online

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Pumped Up Kicks Lyrics: Robert's got a quick hand / He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan / He's got a rolled cigarette / Hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid / Yeah, he found a six-

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Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform for Years

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Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform for Years

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In this article from Teen Vogue, author Lincoln Anthony Blades empathizes with the popular gun control movement. However, Blades expresses doubt of the movement. Blades tells the story of the advocacy that young black teens have been doing for years and how they have seen no change.

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Black Teens Have Been Calling for Gun Reform for Years

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They’ve been demonized, obfuscated, and overlooked.

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Activist Group Works To Combat Gun Violence In NYC

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Activist Group Works To Combat Gun Violence In NYC

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In this video, NBC News follows the story of an activist group that is working to combat gun violence in their hometown of New York City. This video communicates the passion and knowlege that people must have in order to be an activist for such an important cause.

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Activist Group Works To Combat Gun Violence In NYC

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Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is a YA Novel following the life of a young black boy attempting to understand his life and himself after his brother is a victim of gun violence. Similar to Dickens'  A Christmas Carol, the main character is visited in an elevator by multiple ghosts that give advice and hope for the young boy. The book highlights the many victims that gun violence can have other than the person directly hit.

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This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

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This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

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This Is Where It Ends is a novel that follows the events of a school shooting. Following multiple students in the school, the novel depicts the horrifying events that can be all too real for today's younger generation. While the novel focuses on the horrific realities of gun violence, it depicts that people are not all good or all bad; rather, we are humans longing for connection and empathy.