Long Division
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- Create Date：2021-06-04 19:31:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kiese Laymon
- ISBN：198217482X
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Summary
From Kiese Laymon， author of the critically acclaimed memoir Heavy， comes a debut novel about Black teenagers that is a satirical exploration of celebrity， authorship， violence， religion， and coming of age in post-Katrina Mississippi。
Written in a voice that’s alternately humorous， lacerating， and wise， Long Division features two interwoven stories。 In the first， it’s 2013: after an on-stage meltdown during a nationally televised quiz contest， fourteen-year-old Citoyen “City” Coldson becomes an overnight YouTube celebrity。 The next day， he’s sent to stay with his grandmother in the small coastal community of Melahatchie， where a young girl named Baize Shephard has recently disappeared。
Before leaving， City is given a strange book without an author called Long Division。 He learns that one of the book’s main characters is also named City Coldson—but Long Division is set in 1985。 This 1985-version of City， along with his friend and love interest， Shalaya Crump， discovers a way to travel into the future， and steals a laptop and cellphone from an orphaned teenage rapper called。。。Baize Shephard。 They ultimately take these items with them all the way back to 1964， to help another time-traveler they meet to protect his family from the Ku Klux Klan。
City’s two stories ultimately converge in the work shed behind his grandmother’s house， where he discovers the key to Baize’s disappearance。
Written in a voice that’s alternately humorous， lacerating， and wise， Long Division features two interwoven stories。 In the first， it’s 2013: after an on-stage meltdown during a nationally televised quiz contest， fourteen-year-old Citoyen “City” Coldson becomes an overnight YouTube celebrity。 The next day， he’s sent to stay with his grandmother in the small coastal community of Melahatchie， where a young girl named Baize Shephard has recently disappeared。
Before leaving， City is given a strange book without an author called Long Division。 He learns that one of the book’s main characters is also named City Coldson—but Long Division is set in 1985。 This 1985-version of City， along with his friend and love interest， Shalaya Crump， discovers a way to travel into the future， and steals a laptop and cellphone from an orphaned teenage rapper called。。。Baize Shephard。 They ultimately take these items with them all the way back to 1964， to help another time-traveler they meet to protect his family from the Ku Klux Klan。
City’s two stories ultimately converge in the work shed behind his grandmother’s house， where he discovers the key to Baize’s disappearance。
Reviews
Kara
，
I liked it but I think I missed a lot！
Chris Bartlett
，
Kiese Laymon's "Long Division" is a surreal and incredibly entertaining take on generational trauma。 The novel's protagonist， City， goes viral after exposing the absurd racism of a regional Can-You-Use-That-Word-in-A-Sentence competition （a humorous take on spelling-bees）。 On his journey to being forced to repent for his past sins， he finds a book without an author， titled "Long Division，" which resembles his life a little too much for coincidence。 I love when novels include books with the same Kiese Laymon's "Long Division" is a surreal and incredibly entertaining take on generational trauma。 The novel's protagonist， City， goes viral after exposing the absurd racism of a regional Can-You-Use-That-Word-in-A-Sentence competition （a humorous take on spelling-bees）。 On his journey to being forced to repent for his past sins， he finds a book without an author， titled "Long Division，" which resembles his life a little too much for coincidence。 I love when novels include books with the same title in their plot。 "Long Division" takes this even further though， and the book ends up connection three generations of Black children traumatized by natural disaster and racism。"Long Division" is an important book that I would love to teach in one of my own college courses。 I would recommend it to anyone who loved "Heavy。" I would also recommend it to anyone who enjoys magical realism and coming-of-age tales。 This revised edition is a fresh look at a contemporary classic worth reading and re-reading。 。。。more
Never Without a Book
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Long Division is a lot of things， It breaks ground for a lot of reasons。 One of these is that it references old South writers and their influence。 Laymons ability to mix multiple voices and styles makes him stand out。 The title Melahatchie refers to the need for spaces to work through the various forms of cultural and racial oppression that the South continues to grapple with。 These experiences are often presented in a series of uncomfortable and dark ways。Through time travel， Laymon draws atten Long Division is a lot of things， It breaks ground for a lot of reasons。 One of these is that it references old South writers and their influence。 Laymons ability to mix multiple voices and styles makes him stand out。 The title Melahatchie refers to the need for spaces to work through the various forms of cultural and racial oppression that the South continues to grapple with。 These experiences are often presented in a series of uncomfortable and dark ways。Through time travel， Laymon draws attention to the struggles of contemporary black men and women as they navigate the intersection of past and future。The intersection of race and culture can be considered a breath of fresh air and a slide of culture。 For years Ive been complaining about how few black southerners are featured in contemporary literature。 Ive always felt that this is the old guard， that its always been the case， and that its time for a change。The Talking Book is also used to connect the two main characters' stories。 As I read the first few lines of Outkasts Da Art of Storytelling， I heard Dres line about wanting to be a storyteller。 When City talks about being a rapper， I heard him reference being a storyteller。 In Citys cypher， he disses LaVander Peeler while reciting verses from his book。 Their exchange represents the collective mind of the Hip Hop cypher。Each section of the novel presents a moment that is only coming in when its lines are ready。 The stream of consciousness Laymon creates throughout the story signals the audience's readiness for a rap battle。 The ending is both awkward and dizzying。 It gives me pause because I miss something deeply important that could have been the beginning。 Long Division is a game-changer。 It’s the story of how Southern comfort can be given a shot of dignity。 Thank you， Scribner， for the gifted copy via net galley。 。。。more
Jonathan Lee
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One of many passages I underlined: “People always say change takes time。 It's true， but really it's people who change people， and then those people have to decide if they really want to stay the new people that they're changed into。” One of many passages I underlined: “People always say change takes time。 It's true， but really it's people who change people， and then those people have to decide if they really want to stay the new people that they're changed into。” 。。。more
Jossellin
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Rating: 4/5 Review:When I read the summary for this book， I thought， "ooh， this sounds interesting。 Time traveling？ sign me up"， and boy did it not disappoint。 I loved how Kiese Laymon immediately started tackling serious topics in this book in a way that is serious but with humor and frustration added to it。 City was an interesting character that it took me a while to really understand how he was thinking most of the time but in a good way。 The way he developed throughout the book was amazing Rating: 4/5 Review:When I read the summary for this book， I thought， "ooh， this sounds interesting。 Time traveling？ sign me up"， and boy did it not disappoint。 I loved how Kiese Laymon immediately started tackling serious topics in this book in a way that is serious but with humor and frustration added to it。 City was an interesting character that it took me a while to really understand how he was thinking most of the time but in a good way。 The way he developed throughout the book was amazing。 The time-traveling part was a bit confusing and overwhelming at first but I have no doubt that when I reread I'll understand it a bit better。 There was a lot of language or passages that we a bit confusing as well that I had to reread to really get the full picture but other than that this book was amazing。 I can't wait to read more of his books in the future and how his career develops。 A big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Wildflower Reading
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This is a pretty cool take on time travel。 City， the main character， is witty and often hilarious！ There were moments when his comments really got me and I genuinely laughed out loud。 There were other moments that were unexpectedly funny too。 I won’t spoil it so I’ll say this: Outkast + Klansmen + 1960s。 For a time travel story， this novel also touches on a lot of other topics such as life post-Katrina， tokenism， racism， poverty， and woes of viral fame among many others。 What didn’t work for me This is a pretty cool take on time travel。 City， the main character， is witty and often hilarious！ There were moments when his comments really got me and I genuinely laughed out loud。 There were other moments that were unexpectedly funny too。 I won’t spoil it so I’ll say this: Outkast + Klansmen + 1960s。 For a time travel story， this novel also touches on a lot of other topics such as life post-Katrina， tokenism， racism， poverty， and woes of viral fame among many others。 What didn’t work for me is that it took a long time for the story to really get going。 It was about 50% of the way through before the real adventure begins。 While the set up makes a lot more sense once you reach the end， it was still a bit dull to get through。 I found myself wanting to put the book down until I got to the halfway point。 I’m glad I stuck with it though and if you are reading this and feeling how I did， stick with it。Note: This isn’t a story where the mechanics of the time travel are explained。 I think this is largely because the main characters are kids so they don’t really understand it themselves。 So， if you’re looking for something that gives a technical explanation， you won’t find it here。 I didn’t mind it， but others may feel differently。It’s one of those that as soon as you finish， you want to read it again to see what you missed the first time around！ 。。。more
Katherine Teitelbaum
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this book contains two timelines connected to each other， the first is in 2013 where a young boy named City becomes a Youtube sensation after having an on-stage meltdown during a quiz contest and the next day he goes to visit his grandma in an area where a young girl named Bazie has recently disappeared。 the other timeline is in 1985 which also follows a boy named City and his friend Shayla as they discover a way to time travel into the future and steal a laptop from a girl named Bazie。 this nov this book contains two timelines connected to each other， the first is in 2013 where a young boy named City becomes a Youtube sensation after having an on-stage meltdown during a quiz contest and the next day he goes to visit his grandma in an area where a young girl named Bazie has recently disappeared。 the other timeline is in 1985 which also follows a boy named City and his friend Shayla as they discover a way to time travel into the future and steal a laptop from a girl named Bazie。 this novel had excellent characters and throughout the story I was creating theories and predictions and completely engaged。 the main characters’ personalities felt very developed and strong。 their choices throughout the book lined up with who they were and I was emotionally invested as they each were uncovering things and making difficult decisions。 I imagine re-reading this book would be even more fun than the first read because the time travel would be more familiar and a bit less confusing。 you would also be a bit more used to the strong language。 all and all I enjoyed my time reading this novel and gave it a solid 3 stars。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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I'm happy to see this re-issued as I suspect it will speak loudly to many。 Set in 1985 and 2013 AND 1964， it's a coming of age story unlike any I've read。 The combination of sci fi elements， a mystery， and the homage to Twain was not what I expected。 There's a book within the book and a story within a story。 I admit to being confused in parts but that's not Laymon's fault- I'm sure I missed some of the cultural references and that's on me。 Thanks to the publisher for the ARC。 This is meant to be I'm happy to see this re-issued as I suspect it will speak loudly to many。 Set in 1985 and 2013 AND 1964， it's a coming of age story unlike any I've read。 The combination of sci fi elements， a mystery， and the homage to Twain was not what I expected。 There's a book within the book and a story within a story。 I admit to being confused in parts but that's not Laymon's fault- I'm sure I missed some of the cultural references and that's on me。 Thanks to the publisher for the ARC。 This is meant to be a YA book but it's also enjoyable by more mature readers。 。。。more
Sarah R | BiblioBonorum
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Thank you to the publisher and Goodreads for the free copy！
Kato Justus
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“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 “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 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 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 injustices 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 a better idea 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 the 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” by Kiese Laymon is a curious， humorous， spiritual， creative， clever， mysterious work about personal sacrifices and love。 It is a well-written coming-of-age story。 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。 By: Kato’s Klub 。。。more
Melissa
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This is not an easy read， but it IS a book that you can really appreciate once you've finished it。 Time travel is a bit of a plot device， but this is not a sci fi book。 This novel is a study on being a black teenage boy in Mississippi， and how love and coming of age hasn't changed much between 1964， 1985 and 2013。 I don't want to say too much more， because I don't want to ruin the story for others， but I will say that the characters of City， Shalayla， Baize and LaVander are all fully realized an This is not an easy read， but it IS a book that you can really appreciate once you've finished it。 Time travel is a bit of a plot device， but this is not a sci fi book。 This novel is a study on being a black teenage boy in Mississippi， and how love and coming of age hasn't changed much between 1964， 1985 and 2013。 I don't want to say too much more， because I don't want to ruin the story for others， but I will say that the characters of City， Shalayla， Baize and LaVander are all fully realized and jump off the page at different points in the story。The book contains two interwoven stories。 In the first， it’s 2013: after an on-stage meltdown during a nationally televised quiz contest， 14-year-old Citoyen "City" Coldson becomes an overnight YouTube celebrity。 The next day， he’s sent to stay with his grandmother in the small coastal community of Melahatchie， where a young girl named Baize Shephard has recently disappeared。Before leaving， City is given a strange book without an author called Long Division。 He learns that one of the book’s main characters is also named City Coldson--but Long Division is set in 1985。 This 1985 City， along with his friend and love-object， Shalaya Crump， discovers a way to travel into the future， and steals a laptop and cellphone from an orphaned teenage rapper called。。。Baize Shephard。 They ultimately take these with them all the way back to 1964， to help another time-traveler they meet protect his family from the Klan。City’s two stories ultimately converge in the mysterious work shed behind his grandmother’s， where he discovers the key to Baize’s disappearance。This novel was originally published in 2013， and NetGalley offered it to me in advance of the paperback publication in early June。 Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Traci at The Stacks
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I loved these characters so much。 So much plot。 So much humor and joy。 Also some dark twisty stuff but not in a heavy way instead in a real way that incorporates humor with fear。 I didn’t fully get the logistics of the time travel but I could suspend my disbelief and it was worth it。 Also the sentences are top notch！
Sydney S
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I didn’t really know what to expect going into this， but hoped it would be weird。 It was， in a way that totally worked for me。 The narrator sounds like Holden Caulfield （who happens to be one of my favorite characters of all time） if he was Black in rural Mississippi， so you know I love the narrative voice in Long Division。 I love the writing style and the format of this book。 My copy looks the same on the front and back covers， which tripped me up when I first opened it， not knowing which end t I didn’t really know what to expect going into this， but hoped it would be weird。 It was， in a way that totally worked for me。 The narrator sounds like Holden Caulfield （who happens to be one of my favorite characters of all time） if he was Black in rural Mississippi， so you know I love the narrative voice in Long Division。 I love the writing style and the format of this book。 My copy looks the same on the front and back covers， which tripped me up when I first opened it， not knowing which end to start with。 You read Book One first （obviously）， then you flip the book over and read Book Two （which is upside down if you keep going that way） starting from the back。 I don’t think I explained that well。 It’s formatted cool， alright？ I don’t even know what to say about the plot that will do it justice or make sense or not spoil anything。 Here’s a little bit of random stuff （spoilers are tagged）:-tIt’s heavy content with humor sprinkled about。 SPOILER:（view spoiler）[At one point someone asks our narrator， City， what his name is and he says， “Voltron” with a straight face and had me cracking up for almost the rest of the book every time I saw it。 And him wanting to help that abusive white man was wild。 （hide spoiler）] -tThe science fiction element doesn’t come in until Book Two， and it’s light sci-fi。 I was expecting as much， so I wasn’t disappointed， but that’s something you should know before going in。 This isn’t a time travel book， but there’s time travel in it。 -tThis deals with racism in a way that will and should make some people uncomfortable。 The n-word is all over the book。 It’s honest about it， much like our narrator is in （almost） everything he does。-tI love City。 He’s blunt and genuine。 He’s so wonderful in all of his innocence that battles with his big personality。 His inner monologues made me laugh and cringe and feel my heart pinch up within moments of each other。 His interactions with LaVander were so strange and some of my favorite scenes （the ones with his Grandmother and MyMy coming in close second）。 -tThis is an important book that is getting a rerelease。 I know it wasn’t fully appreciated back then and， sadly， I can see why。 Hopefully it’s received better now and people can appreciate how original and strange it is。 So， lastly， I’m a little bit disappointed with the ending。 I’m probably just dumb， but I don’t get what happened and why the last sentence just hangs， no period， like it’s incomplete。 Is this just in my ARC copy？ I doubt it。 SPOILER:（view spoiler）[I think it has something to do with the book in this book （there’s a book called Long Division in this book that… you know what， I’m not going to explain it， but it’s important and there’s a reason the real title is the same as that one）， but is it because the last few pages were blank？ If so， shouldn’t there have been ellipses after the last word， like there was in the other book？ And was it City， City’s double， and Shalaya in the hole on the last page？ Or Evan？ Or LaVander？ I have to know！ （hide spoiler）] I think I’m supposed to be confused， but it drove me crazy to read that last page。 And I wanted more LaVander！ I wasn’t done with his story！Yeah， this was a good one。 I read it in one sitting， meaning I started when I woke up and finished before bed。 There are some slow bits， but not enough to bring it down too much。 Don’t go into this thinking you’re getting only one thing， because it’s a lot of things， and you might not get the answers you’re looking for。 Me？ That’s what I’m always looking for in my reading， so I’m happy。 Thank you， Simon and Schuster， for sending me a copy！ 。。。more
Grace W
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review to come
么ＯＬＹＭＰＵＳ
，
I literally LOVE this book。 It's got to be a top favorite。 The plot was VERY enjoyable， along with the characters。 I have heard so much about this book， and how it is going to change your mindset and become a favorite， and let's just say it certainly did。 I cannot wait for this to come out so I can purchase this for my father。 I literally LOVE this book。 It's got to be a top favorite。 The plot was VERY enjoyable， along with the characters。 I have heard so much about this book， and how it is going to change your mindset and become a favorite， and let's just say it certainly did。 I cannot wait for this to come out so I can purchase this for my father。 。。。more
Steph Elias
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Long Division is the story of a kid named City who lives in Mississippi。 He goes on a national grammar type of show and after causing kind of a scene he is sent to stay with grandma for a few days。 On the way， he starts reading this book he found called Long Division which has a main character with his same name but from a different year。 It is kind of hard to say a lot about the plot without ruining the book for new readers， but there is a time travel element。 The characters are great， they wer Long Division is the story of a kid named City who lives in Mississippi。 He goes on a national grammar type of show and after causing kind of a scene he is sent to stay with grandma for a few days。 On the way， he starts reading this book he found called Long Division which has a main character with his same name but from a different year。 It is kind of hard to say a lot about the plot without ruining the book for new readers， but there is a time travel element。 The characters are great， they were all very well-written。 The dialogue is funny and flows naturally。 All in all， I loved this book， but that ending。。。left me with so many questions。 Time for a re-read。 。。。more
Alexandria
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I had to read up to the very last page to fully grasp the meaning of the story。 I absolutely loved this book so very much。
Tanya Neumeyer
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This book is truly amazing。 Why isn't it a movie yet？ I highly recommend it。 This book is truly amazing。 Why isn't it a movie yet？ I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Christian Schwoerke
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I enjoyed reading this bravura novel， with its mix of 2013 and 1985 narratives about Black teens in Melahatchie， Mississippi， each narrated by a different 14-year-old Citoyen （City） Coldson。 I read on and on eagerly in the alternating narratives to understand the relation between the two， how a strange， authorless book called Long Division appeared to move between the two narratives。 There’s a lot to admire in this three-card monte movement of the embedded novel， which ends up hiding in plain si I enjoyed reading this bravura novel， with its mix of 2013 and 1985 narratives about Black teens in Melahatchie， Mississippi， each narrated by a different 14-year-old Citoyen （City） Coldson。 I read on and on eagerly in the alternating narratives to understand the relation between the two， how a strange， authorless book called Long Division appeared to move between the two narratives。 There’s a lot to admire in this three-card monte movement of the embedded novel， which ends up hiding in plain sight， ie， becoming the novel itself… As the title—and the 1985 character Shalaya—explain， it’s observing the steps （as in “show your work”） that makes an answer complete。 In fact， when I reached the novel’s conclusion， I was so unsure of how I had arrived at the “answer” to this Long Division problem， that I immediately began， almost joyfully， to double-check my work…Kiese Laymon is having some fun with the potential Mobius-strip conventions of time-travel stories， using it as the basis for a metafictional romp that acts like a 1980’s latch-key kid’s after-school adventure special， or， even more grandly， like a Spielbergian Goonies。 The 1985 narrative is the adventure narrative， with young teens City， Shalaya， Evan， and Baize Shepard traveling back and forth through time to 1964， 1985， and 2013。 In the 2013 narrative， teens City and LaVander—contending with their losses at a nationally televised dynamic sentence contest—find a beaten and bound white man lying in Grandma’s work shed， and they end up reading to him chapters from the author-less book Long Division。The mix of levity and gravity in the two narratives always varies， and it’s a volatile mix， where themes of racism and murderous vengeance are blended with the language of sass， hip-hop， rhymes/rap， and the dozens—heightened trash-talk that allows the 2013 characters City and LaVander to strut their young selves。 The much-referenced “magic” that appears in this novel and in the words of characters and through the narratives is allied to love， sacred and profane。 Laymon’s ability to integrate this degree of sacred love/forgiveness alongside City’s irreverent speech （eg， a reference to his Grandma clinging to Jesus’ nutsack） is a joyous conjuring trick that sets up the grimmer incongruity of Grandma’s murder and her injunction to forgive。 Another recurring motif is the ellipsis （…）， which Laymon slyly uses to stand in for the ineffable， another conjuring trick。 Ultimately， when both of the two narratives have their narrators sitting at the bottom of a hole/bunker in the ground， the narrators and their stories resolve in a magical consummation。 One story informs the other， and vice versa， each enlarging/enhancing the whole。 Laymon is too wise to distill it all to a single precept—eg， love will overcome—but there is that implication。。。 As with any of those 80’s after-school specials， there’s a moral， and with Long Division， Laymon twice embeds a peculiarly canny， 10-question true-false test to confirm you get it。 Laymon walks a fine line between heartache and hilarity， and it’s a measure of his cheekiness and seriousness that he gives himself an uncredited cameo appearance in Long Division: there he is， in 2013 City’s narrative， drawing attention to himself as City recounts his baptism and observes how a stranger—a weird， big， bald dude—was shouting and clapping for City， louder than anyone else。 。。。more
Leigh
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Kiese Laymon is a wonderful writer。 The plot is really involved， and I did have a little trouble following from time to time， but it took nothing away from the experience of reading。
H。 Adrian
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The back and forth is confusing at times， but I found the concept of the story very entertaining。
m。 molony
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What in the flying fuck did I just read。 I can hang with magical realism like the best of them but this book made me feel mentally cross eyed。
Carla （literary。infatuation）
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This book is something else （and it’s coming out soon - again - with a super cute cover） and I loved it。 It was trippy and I felt addicted to the high of the mysterious story， City and Shalaya’s love， and catchy language。 A story inside a story that gets you all dizzy til you don’t know which is which。 Are you how you see yourself or how others see you？ Which one is more fictional？ Is fictional actually more accurate than truth？ Would you go back to the past to change your future even if the pri This book is something else （and it’s coming out soon - again - with a super cute cover） and I loved it。 It was trippy and I felt addicted to the high of the mysterious story， City and Shalaya’s love， and catchy language。 A story inside a story that gets you all dizzy til you don’t know which is which。 Are you how you see yourself or how others see you？ Which one is more fictional？ Is fictional actually more accurate than truth？ Would you go back to the past to change your future even if the price was high？If Back to the Future was a literary masterpiece （and Marty McFly was way smarter， cooler， smoother and Black he’d be City Coldson）， it couldn’t had been written by any other than Kiese Laymon。 。。。more
Joel
，
Long Division was a book that sounded very promising （YA time travel featuring Black characters）， but I think it fell short in a lot of ways。First， I'll say that listening to it on audio may have highlighted and amplified some of the issues。 It was frequently difficult to tell exactly when you were until a character would mention it in the chapter。 And then they mentioned it repeatedly throughout the next few pages （minutes）。 It would have been so much easier to just add the year（s） in which eac Long Division was a book that sounded very promising （YA time travel featuring Black characters）， but I think it fell short in a lot of ways。First， I'll say that listening to it on audio may have highlighted and amplified some of the issues。 It was frequently difficult to tell exactly when you were until a character would mention it in the chapter。 And then they mentioned it repeatedly throughout the next few pages （minutes）。 It would have been so much easier to just add the year（s） in which each chapter took place to the chapter title。 Perhaps in the book， the author found a way to differentiate the different time periods by using italics or a different font， but the audio experience was pretty wretched due to this omission。For the most part， I enjoyed the characters and basic plot。 Just the huge amounts of repetition and the somewhat confusing nature of what time period you were in were major drawbacks for me。 After completing the book， I read up a bit on the author and the book and learned that there was some racial controversy surrounding some of the things his characters （primarily Black teens） said about whites that originally kept the book from being published， but seeing as how we've watched a white police office crush the life out of a Black man on TV and Internet， I didn't find any of the racial stuff unwarranted or inauthentic。I liked his storytelling enough to be interested in reading more from this author in the future。 Just the style didn't work for me in this one。2 out of 5 stars。 。。。more
Lisa Blum
，
Holy sh—！ What an incredible book！ I’m not even gonna try to describe it。 Another reviewer said it’s like a Black time traveling Huck Finn。 I listened to the audiobook but think reading might be better。 The time traveling thing can be a bit convoluted but still a great listen once I let go and let the story wash over me。
Daniel Hooker
，
At turns brilliant and thrilling， then baffling and impossible。 I think I really liked it！ But that is also also mixed with a heavy dose of， as another reviewer put it， “what the heck？”
Amethyst
，
Kiese Laymon is a phenomenal writer。 His memoir， Heavy， was beautifully written with vulnerability and tenderness。 Had high expectations for Long Division （which fell short）， yet I appreciate Laymon’s ability to create interesting， three-dimensional characters and take risks with this novel。
Scott Raphael
，
There’s a lot to like and a lot not to。。。（dot dot dot）。 I respect the attempt to combine genres， with elements of southern gothic co-mingling with science fiction/magic realism。 At the same time， I struggled a bit with the characters， who I didn’t find as likeable as I think they needed to be。 A little too selfish。 Some elements of the descriptions were a little too grotesque for my preferences—and not grotesque in an uncanny or disconcerting way， like I prefer。 More grotesque in a dirty way tha There’s a lot to like and a lot not to。。。（dot dot dot）。 I respect the attempt to combine genres， with elements of southern gothic co-mingling with science fiction/magic realism。 At the same time， I struggled a bit with the characters， who I didn’t find as likeable as I think they needed to be。 A little too selfish。 Some elements of the descriptions were a little too grotesque for my preferences—and not grotesque in an uncanny or disconcerting way， like I prefer。 More grotesque in a dirty way that isn’t my style。 Still， I think that as a first novel， it’s a strong and promising effort and is generally well and consistently written。 Laymon had a clear， authorial voice and could do great things。 He clearly had ideas。 Hopefully in future novels he cleans them up a bit （both literarily literally and figuratively） and continues genre bending。 。。。more
Ryan Houck
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Zanny。 Funny。 Sloppy。 If you enjoy time travel， noir， and meta fiction， dig in。 But 。 。 。 parts are just bad， but 。 。 。 that's the point。 He says he's not writing for English teachers。 He challenges by claiming his audience。 I like the play with sentences and punctuation。 The ellipses。The book feels refreshing for unabashedly breaking ground。 The relationship between grandmother and child surprised me。 Pathos and race。 Zanny。 Funny。 Sloppy。 If you enjoy time travel， noir， and meta fiction， dig in。 But 。 。 。 parts are just bad， but 。 。 。 that's the point。 He says he's not writing for English teachers。 He challenges by claiming his audience。 I like the play with sentences and punctuation。 The ellipses。The book feels refreshing for unabashedly breaking ground。 The relationship between grandmother and child surprised me。 Pathos and race。 。。。more
Lizzie Winns
，
This is the type of book that you have to really pay close attention to。 Because the way they jump from the past the future and to the current time in their time traveling， can be confusing。 And at the end of the story I was still left confused with many questions unanswered。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Long Division
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Long Division&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Long Division&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0