Book Review: How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon

This year I set a goal to stretch myself as a reader and pick up books that are outside of my comfort zone.  How it Went Down is one that I probably would not have picked up but did because I wanted to be able to book talk it with students at my school.

Summary by Goodreads:

A 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

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.

My Thoughts:

I finally finished How it Went Down. This one took me a while to get into but once I spent time on the book (and not reading others at the same time), I was able to work myself through some of my confusions, and figure out the plot and characters. The chapters are a bit confusing because each chapter is told from a different character's perspective about Tariq Johnson's murder. Once I got to know the characters better, it was easier to follow and I wanted to know what happened next. 

There are definite similarities in this story to real-world incidents like the death of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown.  This type of book was a stretch for me as I don't normally pick up urban fiction, but I can see others who will really enjoy and relate to the characters.  I  recommend this one to students who are interested in urban life, gangs, race wars, and murder. While this book my not have been my personal "cup of tea," the message is an important one and I definitely know of some students who will want to pick this up.