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What if you could go back in time to save the future? In Kiese Laymon's Long Division, City, a young Black teenager from Mississippi, is asked that very question. What I loved the most about this book is the way it talked about growing up - City's weight & insecurities, Shayla Crump's self righteousness and Baize's longing shape the core journey. Time, as these characters find out, is both fleeting and consequential - every action has a reaction in the present and the latter half of the story unravels some of the mysteries laid out in the first. While I enjoyed this book, there was also a sense of whiplash in trying to keep up with Laymon's rapid pace.

A singular novel, smart and alive, that delves into the past and future and contemplates our relationship with time, with identity, and with each other.

City Coldson is going to stay out of the limelight for a while. After an on-air meltdown at the 2013 Can You Use That Word in a Sentence finals, he is sent to stay with his grandmother in the small town of Melahatchie, Mississippi. Before he leaves, he starts reading a book called Long Division, The book has no author listed, and the main character is also named City Coldson. The City in the book lives in 1985 and finds out that he can travel through time. When the character in the book encounters a girl named Baize Shephard and City discovers that a girl of the same name in present-day Melahatchie has gone missing, it's clear that things are about to get strange.

Long Division is a book where you have to be content with not always understanding what is going on. City (and Kiese Laymon) are not concerned with explaining things to you or making you comfortable; they're just telling you how things are. The characters mirror Laymon's precision with both the construction of story and the words used to tell that story. On one level, this is the story of a teenage boy navigating who he wants to be alongside friends, enemies, and first loves. On a totally different level, City is trying to find out where and when he belongs in a world that is not kind to Black boys--even when he is allowed to compete in the competition, he is seen as a "token minority" and assigned the word niggardly. Long Division is unlike any story you've read before.

Long Division
By Kiese Laymon
Scribner June 2021
301 pages
Read via Netgalley

Kiese Laymon, author of the critically acclaimed memoir HEAVY, has written LONG DIVISION, a work of fiction that combines themes of viral celebrity, storytelling, racism and religion for a coming-of-age, time-traveling tale rich in satire and sharp observations.

Citoyen “City” Coldson is a “White Homeless Fat Homosexual.” At least that’s what his high school rival, LaVander Peeler, will tell you. In truth, he’s a chubby 14-year-old Black boy who is definitely interested in girls (just ask him how many times he’s “gotten nice” with himself thinking about the girls he grew up with), but he’s also just maybe a little obsessed with LaVander. As the best boy writer and best boy reader, respectively, at Fannie Lou Hamer Magnet School, City and LaVander find themselves thrown together way more than they’d like, most recently because of the "Can You Use That Word in a Sentence" contest, an un-geographically biased version of the Scripps National Spelling Bee that’s more accessible for teens in the Deep South, Midwest and Southwest. And this year, they are dead set on bringing the trophy home to Mississippi by showing the judges that they can use any given word in a sentence correctly, appropriately and dynamically --- whatever that means.

Tensions are rising as City and LaVander prepare for the contest --- a nationally televised event --- and as they bounce wordy sentences at and off one another, it becomes clear that while LaVander might act more refined and City might play the class clown, both boys are angry at the state of post-Katrina Mississippi in 2013 and the country’s treatment of its Black citizens. Their anger is fueled even more when they learn that not only are the producers trying to present them as stereotypical Black teens (complete with wave combs and Rocawear shirts), the contest appears to be rigged. Their competitors are white twins from Louisiana and two Mexican siblings from Arizona, and LaVander overhears the producers discuss which one of the two token Black boys will win, and which Mexican sibling he will beat to take the lead.

After witnessing LaVander bow down to the racist words he is given, City is asked to use “niggardly” in a sentence, and all hell breaks loose. City eviscerates the judges --- and, unfortunately, his fellow contestants --- in some of the most vitriolic wordplay ever seen and walks off the stage a legend.

Shortly before this epic meltdown, City’s principal gave him the gift of an unauthored book, Long Division, explaining that it might help him respect his Black ancestors who fought for his freedoms. It is this book that he focuses on when his mother sends him to the small community of Melahatchie to stay with his grandmother as punishment. But having never seen boys like him and towns like his in a book, City is even more shocked to see that despite being set in 1985, the main character is Black like him, stout like him, and has the same first name as him. The protagonist even uses terms like “chunky vomit” like him. Even stranger, there’s a secondary character named Baize Shephard, which also happens to be the name of a teenage girl who disappeared from Melahatchie recently, igniting viral news coverage and desperate pleas for her safe return. Something funky is happening in Long Division and in Melahatchie --- and with no LaVander to sling sentences at, City dedicates himself to finding out what is going on.

As strange parallels between his life and the plot of Long Division keep presenting themselves and his viral celebrity takes off, City finds himself thrust between the divisions of story and storyteller, religion and violence, culture and acceptance. In the novel’s second half, Laymon takes us inside Long Division itself, where we meet City in 1985, his love interest Shalaya Crump, and Baize, the time-traveling orphan rapper. Present-day City will need these counterparts, LaVander's sentence-slinging wisdom and the support of his community to solve the mystery of Baize’s disappearance and figure out what it means for him to take ownership of his identity and culture amid brutal entanglements with race, Jim Crow laws and discrimination in America --- past and present.

Full of some of the most stunning descriptions I have ever read and plenty of head-scratching moments of surrealism, LONG DIVISION is a bewildering gem of a novel. As in HEAVY, Laymon’s control of the written word is unparalleled, his descriptions vivid and raw. When City’s Uncle Relle opens his mouth, “it sounded like big old flat tires rolling over jagged gravel,” and when LaVander cries, “still water flood[s] the gutters of [his] eyes” --- and that’s only the beginning of Laymon’s most beautiful phrases. A wordsmith himself, the character of City is cocky, intelligent, and stuck between the identity placed upon him by his “post-racial” country and the identity he is desperate to carve out for himself. His coming of age combines all the best parts of Mark Twain with the searing timeliness of Nic Stone and Nancy Johnson for something uniquely Laymon, as vulnerable and steadfast as the man we met in HEAVY. Baize, too, is a highlight of the book, and her story arc is as satisfying as it is gripping.

You’ll have to suspend your disbelief a bit --- okay, a lot --- for some of the time-travel science, but if you can latch onto City’s voice and Baize’s wisdom, you’re sure to learn something from this profound, darkly funny book.

This one had beautiful writing but unfortunately the story did not reel me in at all. However I would love to check out more this author just because of the writing

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

Now here’s a Sentence:
“African Americans are generally a lot more ignorant than white Americans, and if you’re an African-American boy and you beat not only African-American girls but white American boys and white American girls, who are, all things considered, less ignorant than you by nature—in something like making sentences, in a white American state like Mississippi—you are, all things considered, a special African-American boy destined for riches, unless you’re a homeless white fat homosexual African-American boy with mommy issues, and City, you are indeed the white fat homosexual African American boy with mommy issues who I shall beat like a knock-kneed slave tonight in the nationals.”

Ummm WHOA. That did not go where I expected and I loved it.

This book follows City, a high school student in Mississippi in 2013 whose appearance on a televised quiz show has just gone viral. His mom sends him to live with his grandmother to keep him out of the public eye and trouble (cue the Fresh Prince theme song). While there he finds an interesting book called Long Division set in 1985, in which the main character is also named City and he quickly finds there are several other eerie parallels to his life.

The second half of the book goes off the rails in the best way possible and I’m not even going to try to hint at it. 😍

In case y’all didn’t already know, Kiese Laymon is incredible. I couldn’t stop highlighting great quotes and paragraphs on my e-reader. He is such an observational author and brings his unique insight into each of his books.

The plot is ambitious! There’s so much action and fun dialogue in the book that you’ll fly right through it. I did find myself wishing that it was at least 50 pages longer to be able to flesh out some parts a bit more. But it’s honestly a testament to Laymon’s imagination that he packs so much into this story.

Not only is this book a fun read, it offers big social commentary on so many issues like poverty, the way racism morphs through the years, reconciling our past and future, and also on how to come of age as a fourteen year old Black, overweight kid from the South.

Bottom line: It’s smart, fun, unpredictable, quick, sometimes confusing, but always wildly original.

Wow, a masterpiece! Mind-bending but in the best way possible. I enjoyed these characters and this plot and although at times I felt a little like "What?!" trying to figure out what was going on with the time travel elements, it was such a unique and engaging read that it felt "worth it" to me. Just the right amount of teenage angst and some really smart writing. Brilliant.

Kiese Laymon’s debut novel is a Twain-esque exploration of celebrity, authorship, violence, religion, and coming of age in Post-Katrina Mississippi, written in a voice that’s alternately funny, lacerating, and wise.

So glad I read and enjoyed this!

This work is so powerful. I have read another work by Kiese Laymon and I thought I would give this a try as well. It was hard for me to get through. Not because the writing or the plot was bad but because I was just so heartbroken by some of the content. I think that was the intention. Or I hope it was.

Long Division is Kiese Laymon's debut novel first published in 2013. It has been on my TBR list forever and a day, so I jumped on the opportunity to read and review the re-release of this classic satire novel. It features two interwoven stories in post-Katrina Mississippi.

It's 2013 and 14-year-old City Coldson becomes an overnight YouTube celebrity after a meltdown on national television. He is sent to live with his grandmother in a small community where a young girl named Baize Shephard has recently disappeared.

Before City leaves, he is gifted an author-less book titled...drumroll please...Long Division. The main character is also named City Coldson! In the book, he travels to the future and steals a laptop and cell phone from an orphaned teen girl named...yup, you guessed it...Baize Shephard. He takes the items all the way back to 1964 to help another time-traveler protect family from the Ku Klux Klan.

Are you still with me, bookhearts? It is a lot to follow. Reading this book-inside-of-a-book had me all the way confused. I found myself reading the chapters a couple times before finally just pushing through and glad I stuck with it. I was ---><--- this close to DNF'ing but on the strength of many bookhearts' high ratings and praise reviews, I kept reading and eventually finished this well-written coming-of-age novel featuring a smart black boy. The hilarious narration was a bonus.

My recommendation is to read Long Division at the right time. Be focused because it needs your attention to follow the time-travel dual storyline. Avoid spoilers and appreciate good writing!

~LiteraryMarie

I read the original version of Long division with a library book club in 2017. I struggled with the time travel element of the novel when reading with the club. When I heard the author announce he had revised and was reissuing the novel, I wanted to give it another read. Even with the revision, the time travel element still gave me pause. Additionally, the satire seemed more pronounced with this reading. I think Mr. Laymon is one of the greatest writers in the game right now but this novel doesn’t move me like his nonfiction work. I rated the book 3 stars in 2017 and my rating stays the same with the revisions.

There's no doubt that Laymon can write some beautiful sentences. His characters are unique and I rooted for City even as he skewed towards self destruction. This convoluted time travel epic had some great moments, but was scattered in a way that I did not personally always enjoy.

Review coming soon. Thanks to the publisher and author, Kiese Laymon, for the review copy. Check back soon.

Wow. "Long Division" is a very unique novel. Usually I'm not a fan of magical realism and time travel, but I think Kiese Laymon did a decent job. I think it's best not knowing too much about the plot before reading. Now that I've finished the book and read the synopsis, I feel like it gives away the time travel element too much. The time travel element is the thing that caught me off guard because I wasn't expecting it. I must admit, I was a little confused once the narrative switched in Book Two, but I thought it was a good twist. This novel deals with some heavy subject matter like racial and religious discrimination in the south. These topics are dealt in a brutally honest way which is very much appreciated. I like novels that discuss uncomfortable topics like race. The best thing about this novel was the snappy and funny dialogue among the teenagers. Very realistic. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but overall I thought this was a well written, thought-provoking novel. Enjoy!

Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner for the digital ARC.

Loved heavy and was so excited to see what a novel by Kiese would be like. It didn’t disappoint! I grew up in the Midwest and I LOVED how different it was. It’s so unique and fun yet also makes you critically think about the world around us. Wow.

I can't say I've ever read a novel as multi-layered as Kiese Laymon's 2013 debut novel "Long Division." To even describe the book's premise would take years, yet it's a powerfully hilarious and introspective coming-of-age story for the ages.

"Long Division" is a literary nesting doll for readers, opening in 2013 with the central character City competing in a grammar competition and discovering a novel called "Long Division," with a protagonist also named City living in 1985. City's discovery of the book and the disappearance of classmate Baize Shephard in Melahatchie, Mississippi, unlock the second plot following 1985 City and his journey to prove his love to Shayala by traveling back to 1964 Melahatchie.

Both 2013 City and 1985 City visit their grandmothers in Melahatchie, Mississippi, yet have contrasting coming-of-age stories and questions regarding their time-defying copies of "Long Division," their Black experiences, and the changes within the Black community.

Despite the time travel element, it isn't a sci-fi allegory for race relations; its teenage characters are trying to navigate young love and their Blackness with the time traveling in the distant background of the story powers the novel.
With witty commentary from each character, you almost forget the more outstanding issues woven into the story. Be warned: this isn't a YA coming-of-age story, so don't be surprised by the slang and topics interlaced into "Long Division."

This novel could have been a multi-layered racial relations story for the ages, but at its heart, "Long Division" is a coming-of-age story with some haunting topics thrown in there. From 1985 City and Shayala being haunted by rumors surrounding their grandparents' deaths, running from the Ku Klux Klan in 1964, and in 2013 City constantly being told to be the better African-American boy, "Long Division" doesn't hold back. It seems that each character's haunting never leaves them and follows them into their respective periods. Laymon weaves contemporary and historical issues from each period flawlessly while focusing on teenage protagonists.

Truthfully, "Long Division" was a surprising read–every plot twist and the nesting doll devices can be confusing to keep track of while reading. Still, the layers are revealed with clever and unique ease you don't find very often in literature.

This novel is a many-layered cake of absurdity and hilarity, making it a beast to finish just based on the synopsis. Yet, the key to understanding "Long Division" is not 2013 and 1985 City, but rather Baize's disappearance and the journey to find the enigmatic character through time is the final puzzle piece to this ambitious novel.

Despite its ambition, the novel doesn't give its character arcs the justice they deserve and felt cut off. If the book had a hundred pages more, each character and plot device might have received the room to flourish and seamlessly end the arcs, but that is a wishful dream.

I LOVED this book! I've been seeing being promoted everywhere and nearly bought a copy when I was standing inside a Barnes and Noble the other day. I instead convinced the personal lamenting about the book to pick it up instead. Such a wonderful read, beautifully written and unforgettable. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this.

INCREDIBLE! I'm so grateful this book was re-published and brought to my attention. It is hilarious, thought provoking, heart wrenching, and utterly unique.

Long Division, without spoiling anything for the reader, is a tale of love, loss, faith, and rewriting the past. Though there were aspects of the novel I didn't appreciate, like the lengthy first section which didn't seem to add much apart from a little backstory to the second, the writing style was inventive and easy to lose yourself in. It dragged in some places but eventually picked up and grabbed my attention. Overall, I enjoyed it.