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A review by jbrooks124
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Alternating between his final day and his death, <u>Ghost Boys</u> is the heartbreaking story of a 12-year-old Black boy who is murdered by a police officer. Jerome follows his family, friend, and the daughter of the police officer who killed him in the aftermath of his death.
Note: I read this for a grad school course, as it's well beyond the ability/emotional maturity of my current students. The reason I held back from a more positive rating was because it felt as though the ghost of Emmett Till (and other Black boy ghosts) were tacked on in a gimmicky way, and not for Jerome or Sarah or anyone else to glean any lessons. Additionally, Sarah hopped on the bandwagon awfully quickly for the priviliged white daughter of a police officer - nice that she was inherently such a good and questioning kid, but it didn't seem like there was much realistic about her personal journey. Lastly, considering this was a book inherently focused on #BlackLivesMatter and racial injustice in matters of policing, I was disappointed that there was so little focus on Jerome's family after his death. It felt like most of the very short book was focused on Sarah's journey to forgiving her father for the murder/making her path forward.
Note: I read this for a grad school course, as it's well beyond the ability/emotional maturity of my current students. The reason I held back from a more positive rating was because it felt as though the ghost of Emmett Till (and other Black boy ghosts) were tacked on in a gimmicky way, and not for Jerome or Sarah or anyone else to glean any lessons. Additionally, Sarah hopped on the bandwagon awfully quickly for the priviliged white daughter of a police officer - nice that she was inherently such a good and questioning kid, but it didn't seem like there was much realistic about her personal journey. Lastly, considering this was a book inherently focused on #BlackLivesMatter and racial injustice in matters of policing, I was disappointed that there was so little focus on Jerome's family after his death. It felt like most of the very short book was focused on Sarah's journey to forgiving her father for the murder/making her path forward.