Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Jason Reynolds’ Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks is not quite a collection of short stories–or perhaps it’s just barely one. For me, it was really more of a zoom-out, or a fictional documentary; each story contributes to the overall picture, and the main characters of each story pop up in the background of another story or two, because each story is happening (at least partly) at the same time. Following middle school students home from school is a surprisingly effective way to get to know them, and Reynolds handles the format with skill. I have a middle school librarian friend who didn’t love it–she said many of the stories felt like first chapters, and she’s not wrong–but (surprisingly enough!) it worked for me. Honestly, I was surprised by that, given how much I prefer closure and answers, but then, Reynolds likes to leave you hanging at the end, so perhaps I was unknowingly prepared for it. If ALL of the man’s book were collections like this, mind, I probably wouldn’t seek all of them out; they aren’t, however, and Reynolds is becoming one of those authors that I want to read just about all of. (That “of” is hanging at the end there, and I know it, but words are not flowing tonight. Sorry.) I’m never going to be as into Look Both Ways as, say, his “Track” series, but this was still a uniquely enjoyable reading experience.

What did you think?