by Jewell Parker Rhodes (j Rhodes)
An excellent story and winner of the 2020-2021 Nebraska Golden Sower for Best Juvenile Novel.
This is a moving tale of a 12-year-old Black boy killed on the streets of his neighborhood. The chapters alternate between DEAD and ALIVE. He’s now a ghost but can only be seen by one person.
As a ghost he encounters the ghosts of Emmett Till and thousands of other boys (and men) of color who were victims of lynching, the KKK, and police shootings. In the DEAD chapters he’s trying to adjust to his new condition. In the ALIVE sections we follow the events of That Day and the aftermath.
The first seven sentences of the book begin:
“How small I look. Laid out
flat, my stomach touching ground. My right knee bent and my brand-new Nikes
stained with blood.
I stoop and stare at my face, my right cheek flattened on concrete. My eyes
are wide open. My mouth, too.
I’m dead.”
Ghost Boys is a juvenile book but certainly not childish. Have a box of tissue nearby — you won’t be able to read this in public over lunch. An afternoon read that will stick with you.
[ official Ghost Boys page on the official Jewell Parker Rhodes web site ]
Recommended
by Charlotte K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service
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