Reviews with content warning for Murder - Ghost Boys

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

23 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

A powerful story about the ways that prejudice and police brutality impact entire communities, especially those killed by police and their families. I thought tying the murdered boy in this story to Emmitt Till was a brilliant way to bridge historical timelines where not much at all has changed. This book is heavy and sad but accessible to younger audiences as well as adults.

Content Warnings

audrey5's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Content Warnings

trippalli's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A moving and important story reflecting on black boys killed because of racism.. From cops to mobs. This is an important history we need to recognize and talk honestly about. Black Lives Matter
Prepare to have your tearducts emptied. This is a moving but still hopeful story told from the perspective of a 12 year old boy shot in the back by cops while he was playing by himself in the party with a toy gun.

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waterbottle57's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.75

Content Warnings

ekmoore11's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

bhavya_is_reading's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

"Is there someplace I’m supposed to go? I hope it’s heaven. A good place. But I’m still here—which is nowhere, not able to help anybody."

~ Rating- 3.5 stars ~

Content/ Trigger Warnings- Police Brutality, Murder, Grief, Loss of a Child, Nightmares, Bullying, Racism

Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.

-Mention of some these in the review-

"I don’t know. I don’t even know how I go, how I move. I just dissolve. Fade away, then appear again. Can I control that?"

Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes is about twelve-year-old Jerome, who is shot by a police officer that mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he observes the devastation that's been unleashed on his family and community in the wake of what they see as an unjust and brutal killing.

" Why am I dead? I shouldn’t be dead. I shouldn’t."

Ghost Boys was a dark and powerful story, and is the sad reality of our world. I want to say I liked it, but that feels wrong, as this book is heartbreaking. It is a middle-grade book, and the target audience is children, but I believe that this is a book everyone should read. It was not easy to sit through, but it was a necessary read. Overall, it is an important book that I highly recommend.

"Then, I feel an urge. Deep inside me. A recognition. Injustice. Tragedy"

Review written & uploaded on 16th March 2022.

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DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.

How I Rate-
1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite

.......................

3.5 stars. Review to come.

Content Warnings

ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

a hard-hitting read that makes one angry, despair, and--in my case--tentatively hopeful yet not fully optimistic, considering whats gone down the past couple yrs after the book's been published. ghost boys is unique w/ its inclusion of emmett till, which rly enhances the wider historical perspective of the issue of america's racism, and the thousands of ghost boys are also harrowing. what makes me most emotional, surprisingly, is carlos' altar for jerome, an encapsulation of a one-day friendship that movingly transcends life. my one criticism, however, would be the myriad of short, choppy sentences, which dont flow too well. i think younger readers are fully capable of dealing w/ more-than-5-words sentences. still, this is a tragic, poignant read.

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pumpkinpit's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

sierranorgan's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This book hit hard, and is so important for young and older readers alike! I think it was genius how the author wove history through this and how it all connected to Jerome. This is a book I will definitely have stocked in my classroom library!

Content Warnings

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