How It Went Down

Magoon, K. (2014). How it went down. New York: Henry Holt and Company. When sixteen-year-old, black teen, Tariq Johnson is shot to death there are many witnesses, but no one can seem to give the same account of the murder. The black community of Underhill is further angered when they find out that the shooter, Jack Franklin, who is white was released without any charges. The community members each tell their own accounts of that day and how they try to ease the pain of losing Tariq at such a young age, but no one will ever know if Tariq was carrying a gun. How It Went Down is a 2015 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book. Students who enjoyed this novel should read When I Was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds.