Book Review #13 and #14 ~ “Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel” by Jason Reynolds and “Fun Home” by Alison Bechdel

    After “Piglet,” I felt like I was going into a slump, so I read graphic novels. Graphic novels are always my remedy for a reading slump because they are so fast paced and I can easily finish them in a couple of hours. So, I read “Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel” and “Fun Home” in one day.

    “Long Way Down” was a very powerful read. This book follows Will on a one minute elevator ride after he decides that he is going to kill the person who shot Will’s older brother, Shawn. This story was so sad and I really felt for the characters. The art in this book was AMAZING, the watercolors were so so pretty. However, I feel like I would be more connected to the characters if I read the original book, which I probably will eventually do.
    “Fun Home” is an autobiographical graphic novel about Alison and her familial relationships (mainly her and her father’s relationship). his book was very gripping and the story had so many layers to it. I do think I could’ve gotten more out of the book if I knew all of the literary works the author was referencing, but I knew some of them and it really didn’t get in the way of my overall enjoyment. I also knew that this book was turned into a musical, which I can’t really picture but now I kind of want to see it?
    I rated “Long Way Down” 4 stars and “Fun Home” 3.75 stars. I do recommend both of these books, but if I had to choose I would pick “Long Way Down.” These were my 80th and 81st books of 2025. See you soon, xx Autumn