🔹 Long Division by Kiese Laymon

Rating: 5 of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

By: Kato Justus 

Long Division by Kiese Laymon is an original work of sparkling creativity. I recommend getting a print copy of the book so you can enjoy the story as it is intended. Part one of the book is printed as expected, but to read the second half of the book, the reader needs to flip it over and read from the end. So, both parts have the last physical page of the story located in the middle of the book. The very end of the book is in the middle. One of the great things about doing reviews in exchange for a book is getting books that you would never choose for yourself. I’m a retired white guy who grew up in a northern state. This story is about a ninth-grader, young black man, “City” from Mississippi. 

The adventure is a dreamy, mysterious, time-traveling account of a young man's journey as he reckons with bigotry, self-discovery, sacrifice, and love. There is an intricate mystical ache to the story. Each character in the book fights for self-determination. They fight not just for survival but for the right to choose what and how they want to be. Somehow, all this must be achieved in a way that makes their friends, family, and community proud. So, they carry the expectations of their world upon their shoulders. I hesitate to describe the plot beyond the author's blurb because that seems almost sacrilegious. 

A passage from the book that affected me is when LaVander Peeler “wins” the “Can You Use That Word in a Sentence National Competition”: 

“The voice behind the light screamed, ‘LaVander Peeler, you have done the unbelievable! Times are a-changing and you, you exceptional young Mississippian, are a symbol of the American Progress. The past is the past and today can be tomorrow. LaVander Peeler, do you have anything to say? Would you like to thank your state, your governor, Jesus Christ, or your family for this blessing?’” 

That passage touched me because it demonstrates how white people try to use black people as props to feel good and righteous about themselves. More than that is just how incredibly—insulting—how degrading those allegedly well-intentioned episodes are and how much it stings, hurts, and insults a human being's sensibilities and dignity. While such incongruous occurrences can just zip right by an ignorant white person unnoticed, such insincere, passive-aggressive forms of violence are horrors black peoples regularly endure. 

The Mark Twain, Huckleberry-ish dialogue is brilliant and funny and is really what establishes this book as a literary work of art. Despite the hilarity, how City narrates his world views to readers is done so with a good deal of logic and wisdom. Kiese Laymon's writing shows him to be a master of the metaphorical simile: 

“You think I’m crazy, right? Well, I know that you can’t travel through time with a girl and save folks from the Klan and not kiss them unless you’re slightly deformed or unless you smell like death. And even then, there’s still gonna be some serious grinding going on. Serious grinding.” 

I cannot say I understood everything about “Long Division” but we are not supposed to. That in itself is part of the point of the story—no one ever figures everything out, right? By the time you are finished with the book, you will have an understanding of what it is like to be a young black man in 2013, 1985, and 1964. 

Another partial theme of the book is how black people, especially the young, struggle in our world with just being who they are: “How do you get good at love when your family disappeared and every day it feels like you and your friends are getting written off the face of the earth?” 

“Long Division” is a curious, humorous, spiritual, creative, clever, mysterious work about personal sacrifices and love. It is a well-written coming-of-age story about growing up. Travel through time with City in this dreamscape—the story is beautifully conceived and brilliantly told. It’s a heart-touching tale you should not hesitate to read. I highly recommend “Long Division”—but get the print copy. I loved it, you will too.