How It Went Down

by Kekla Magoon
Cherise Boothe

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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.

Creators
Publisher

Recorded Books, Inc.

Edition: Unabridged
Awards
Release date

January 1, 2015
Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
  - ISBN: 9781490660035
  - File size: 206672 KB
  - Duration: 07:10:33
Languages
- English
Levels
- Lexile® Measure: 560
- Text Difficulty: 2-3
Reviews
- AudioFile Magazine
  
  Cherise Boothe anchors this production with her performance as world-weary Jennica, a teen we meet when she tries to save her schoolmate, Tariq Johnson, after he's shot in broad daylight. In the wake of Tariq's death, a full cast alternates between points of view as diverse as that of the shooter, who believed Tariq was armed, and that of the Reverend Alabaster Sloan, who comes to town in the wake of the tragedy to bolster his political career. As Tariq's family, other teens, and neighborhood stalwarts fail to agree on the facts or on what they mean, the full-cast approach highlights the way people's expectations and assumptions influence what they see and believe. Timely, but also timeless in its exploration of the mysteries at the core of being human. A.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine
- Publisher's Weekly
  
  Starred review from August 25, 2014
  Structured similarly to Avi’s Nothing But the Truth, this provocative novel set in a neighborhood ruled by gangs offers multiple, contradictory perspectives on the shooting of an African-American youth. No one disputes that 16-year-old Tariq Johnson was shot on the street by Jack Franklin, a white gang member, but the motives of both killer and victim remain fuzzy, as do the circumstances surrounding the shooting. The nationally renowned Reverend Alabaster Sloan claims that racial bias was involved and criticizes the police for releasing Jack. Locals have differing opinions, which spur more questions. Was the killing a matter of self-defense? Did Tariq have a weapon? Was he a gang member? Even eyewitnesses disagree on many points. Expressing the thoughts of Tariq’s family, neighbors, friends, and enemies, Magoon (37 Things I Love ) creates a montage of impressions for readers to digest before drawing conclusions about the tragedy. Through this resonant chorus of voices, Magoon masterfully captures the cycle of urban violence and the raw emotions of the young people who can’t escape its impact. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency.
- School Library Journal
  
  June 1, 2015
  Gr 7 Up-Sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson is shot and killed while a diverse group of people look on. All of the eyewitnesses, plus community members who are invested in the case, tell the story of what happened. The problem is that everyone has a slightly different version of what happened, and as time goes on, the account becomes even more confused as everyone tries to make sense of the incident and how it happened. A full cast, including Cherise Boothe, Shari Peele, Kevin R. Free, and Avery Glymph, narrates, bringing the many characters and their versions of the story to life. VERDICT This story would be an excellent addition to middle and high school classes and would enhance collections dealing with race relations, diversity, and urban teens.-Amanda Stern, Northwest Village School, Plainville, CT
  
  Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
- The Horn Book
  
  July 1, 2015
  Sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson is walking home from a convenience store when he is shot twice by a white man on the street. After his death, the neighborhood is up in arms, and no one has the same story of what happened. What emerges, through multiple voices, is a portrait not just of a young man and his untimely death but of a society struggling with the clashing of personal versus group identity; ethnic group membership versus class status; activism for a cause versus activism for personal gain. From a celebrity pastor using the incident to enhance his ratings to a gang leader insisting that Tariq was one of his to Tariq's little sister trying to make sense of the shooting, the story becomes fuller as more members of the community chime in with their memories or extrapolations. Audio is an excellent format for this novel, the experience akin to listening to an episode of NPR's Radiolab or Serial. Heartbreakingly timely and relevant, How It Went Down is as diverse in its perspectives and opinions as real-life news stories, and it ends with similar unsettledness. sarah hannah gomez
  (Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)