You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.36 AVERAGE
4.36 AVERAGE
Finished reading: January 16th 2019
“Only the living can make change.”
I first heard about this book when it was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Awards last year, and to be honest I'm surprised this little gem hasn't received more attention and love. Ghost Boys is such a powerful read! With race problematics and discrimination sadly being all too real even today, this is such an important book for middle graders and adults alike to read... The topic itself is brilliantly handled, well developed without things becoming too political or dull. The power behind Ghost Boys is the twelve-year-old Jerome, who gives the fatal consequence of racism a face and will make your heart break. The division between the dead and alive chapters was very cleverly done and gives the story an original twist as well as a paranormal touch. I really liked the idea of the other ghost boys, the inclusion of different ideas about life after dead and the incorporation of historical information was very well done. The writing will draw you in right away, your heart will ache for Jerome and those close to him and you will feel the powerful message behind the story long before you reach the final page. This is a story of what sadly is still happening around the world and something 'only the living can change'. A true eye-opener and a very important read anyone should read.
Jewell Parker Rhodes is a master at distilling and introducing hard issues to young readers. In her 2016 book, TOWERS FALLING, she gently explained the ways 9/11 impacted and continues to impact New Yorkers, while also touching on poverty, mental health and homelessness. She addresses an even tougher subject in GHOST BOYS—racism, violence and police shootings—and again handles the subject with grace and sensitivity. The story centers on the ghost of Jerome, a black child who was shot by a white policeman in Chicago, who meets the ghost of Emmett Till and learns what happened to Emmett all those years ago. By mirroring modern-day racial tensions with those of the 1950s, GHOST BOYS shows how far we have to go in America, but ultimately leaves us with a hopeful message: that the future can be different, and we can be the ones to begin the change.
Quick read. An option for my student's summer reading. Very timely.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really powerful read, centered on a young boy bullied in school who, on the day he makes his first school friend, is shot by a police officer who mistakes him for a grown man. Told through the voice of both the living and dead boy, we see him struggling to survive his daily life and watching people cope with his death. And then there are the ghosts of other boys killed, all black, all "errors". My biggest problem with this book was that the boys included Emmett Till - to me, having them be the (to the majority of the world) nameless many killed in Chicago over the past few years would have made this even more powerful.
ARC provided by publisher.
ARC provided by publisher.
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Heart and gut-wrenching story. I think this is a book that is very compelling- especially as narrated by Mile Harvey. It deals with the shooting and subsequent death of a young, African-American boy as he plays in his own neighborhood with a toy gun. Rhodes is a fantastic story teller and this book is no exception. It will stay with me for a very long time. While the story she tells is a tragic one, she manages to find hope in the characters she has created. I hope and pray that those hopes are fulfilled.
Warning: this one is a tear jerker! I had to pull over a couple of times because I could not see well enough to drive as I listened.
Thank you Jewell Parker Rhodes for this important book.
BTW- this one is on the Bluebonnet and Lone Star lists for Texas- 2019.
Warning: this one is a tear jerker! I had to pull over a couple of times because I could not see well enough to drive as I listened.
Thank you Jewell Parker Rhodes for this important book.
BTW- this one is on the Bluebonnet and Lone Star lists for Texas- 2019.
Read in audio. Made me sob on my drive into work today. Emmett Till's story was beautifully and heartbreaking and horrifically dramatized.
The whole story was beautiful and heartbreaking and horrific.
The whole story was beautiful and heartbreaking and horrific.