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A review by jensreadinglife
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
5.0
Jerome is a ghost. At 12 years old he is shot and killed by a white police officer. As a ghost he is able to observe his family and his community as the reel from his death and the aftermath. He also meets another ghost, Emmett, who helps him come to terms with his death. And he also meets Sarah, the white daughter of the policeman who shot him.
This. Book. I've been struggling to come up with words that will justify it. Written for middle-grade readers, this book tackles the heavy themes of death, racism, inequality and injustice. And it does it so very, very well. As a mother, this book made my heart very, very heavy. And I am the white mother of a white son who doesn't have to worry that her son will be shot by police officers based solely on the color of his skin. I can only imagine the added burden that worry adds to the already heavy load of worries we mothers carry for our children. And then there is Jerome's anger, frustration and impotence at his situation. In death, those feelings are magnified but it is easy to see how even had he lived, he'd have been facing those same feelings as he grew up. But his interactions with both Sarah and Emmett are really, for me, at the heart of this book. What Jerome learns from them both (as well as what he teaches Sarah) is at the center not only of this story but of our society. Can we see these ghost boys? Can we hear their stories and learn from them and stop this continual cycle of racism and injustice?
Jewell Parker Rhodes packs so much into this short read. I finished this book a month ago and I'm still thinking about it, still unpacking it. I urge everyone to read this.
This. Book. I've been struggling to come up with words that will justify it. Written for middle-grade readers, this book tackles the heavy themes of death, racism, inequality and injustice. And it does it so very, very well. As a mother, this book made my heart very, very heavy. And I am the white mother of a white son who doesn't have to worry that her son will be shot by police officers based solely on the color of his skin. I can only imagine the added burden that worry adds to the already heavy load of worries we mothers carry for our children. And then there is Jerome's anger, frustration and impotence at his situation. In death, those feelings are magnified but it is easy to see how even had he lived, he'd have been facing those same feelings as he grew up. But his interactions with both Sarah and Emmett are really, for me, at the heart of this book. What Jerome learns from them both (as well as what he teaches Sarah) is at the center not only of this story but of our society. Can we see these ghost boys? Can we hear their stories and learn from them and stop this continual cycle of racism and injustice?
Jewell Parker Rhodes packs so much into this short read. I finished this book a month ago and I'm still thinking about it, still unpacking it. I urge everyone to read this.