In the book How it Went Down by Kekla Magoon at the very beginning of the book a black teenager named Tariq is shot and killed by a white man named Jack Franklin. The event became the focal point of national news and was believed to be an act of segregation against the African American race due to the fact that Jack Franklin was released from jail with no charges. Throughout the book you get to hear the point of view of multiple characters in the book but the two main characters are Tariq’s best friend Tyrell and Jennica, a girl that Tariq didn’t know well but is taking his death very hard.
The theme of this novel is that even though we think we got rid of something doesn’t always mean it is really gone. In the book there is a clearly a lot of segregation and racism, although it is not as severe as it used to be, it is still something that happens in our world. In many places black people still are not treated with the same respect as white people. I think that it is a problem that is become more apparent which hopefully means that we can stop it for good.
This book was a great read; it really opened my eyes to the fact that we still have racism, it makes you want to act and do something to stop segregation of all cultures. Kekla Magoon also did a good job of depicting what life was like in poorer black communities like this and how people in wealthier communities stereotype them. It was the type of book that you don’t want to put down, you just want to keep reading, and reading and find out what happens next. This book made me feel a whirlwind of emotions one minute I was angry, then sad, then happy. It was also interesting in the fact that it was told from the point of view of multiple different people; first you are hearing from his friend’s point of view, then his mother's, then his sister’s, then some kid he went to school with, and it is like that throughout the whole book! I thought it was a very creative way to write a book. I would very strongly recommend this book to anyone, it has a great story line and at the end you will find yourself wanting to act out against segregation and racism.