About the Author

Kekla Magoon is the author of several books for young adults, including 37 Things I Love, the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Award-winning The Rock and the River, and the Coretta Scott King Honor Book How It Went Down. She lives in Vermont.

Reviews

"Brilliantly crafted, heart-wrenching, and unforgettable." --Laurie Halse Anderson, New York Times-bestselling author of Speak "The layered voices tell a story both simple and complicated, heartbreaking and maddening." --The Chicago Tribune "Kekla Magoon's books just keep getting better....It's an important, compelling story that everyone should read, especially high school students trying to make sense of our supposed post-racial world." --BookPage, A Teen Top Pick "In How It Went Down, Kekla Magoon deftly renders us witnesses to an all-too-common news flash in uncommon, unflinching prose. Gripping to the end." --Rita Williams-Garcia Newbery Honor winner, National Book Award finalist, and Coretta Scott King Award winner "A hard-hitting look at the ripple effects of one act of violence on an entire community. How It Went Down is engrossing and real--it's the right book at the right time." --Coe Booth, LA Times Book Prize winner "Thoughtful and compassionate, beautifully composed, this book takes us inside what we think we know and shows us more." --Helen Frost, Printz Honor winner "Magoon masterfully captures the cycle of urban violence and the raw emotions of the young people who can't escape its impact." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "*How It Went Down is a snapshot in time, a fascinating study of people caught in the crosshairs of an Event. . . . A particularly timely tale that can create dialogue and provide understanding about the decisions other people make, and the actions they take." --VOYA, starred review "This sobering yet satisfying novel leaves readers to ponder the complex questions it raises." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review "The many voices provide poignant insights into the forces at play in the impoverished neighborhoods, where joining a gang is tough to resist, but the various perspectives also offer compelling and plausible insights into the way perceptions and preconceptions shape narratives and affect our actions." --BCCB "A powerful novel that will resonate with fans of Myster's Monster and Woodson's Miracle's Boys." --The Horn Book "Kekla Magoon's How It Went Down about a black teen who is shot by a white man, is . . . just the right title for young adults grappling with the headlines streaming in every day." --School Library Journal "Heartbreaking and unputdownable." --School Library Journal