Ghost Boys Book Review
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Ghost Boys
Rhodes, Jewell Parker. GHOST BOYS. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2018.
ISBN: 978-0-316-26228-6
In a series of events that once would have been shocking, but, sadly, has become commonplace, a young twelve year old African American boy is shot by a police officer, because the policeman believes the boy is holding a gun and is menacing him. Jerome is a quiet boy who keeps his head down, tries to avoid trouble and bullies, and takes care of his little sister Kim. He rarely has fun or plays outside because it is a dangerous neighborhood. He dreams of going to college and helping his parents buy a house. His story begins with the tragedy, and Jerome narrates both the events leading to his death, and the rippling after-effects, including a trial for the police officer. In his persona as a ghost, Jerome is able to be an omniscient narrator, revealing the feelings of the other characters.
Jerome as a ghost is a useful narrative device. It is a fixed symbol for one of the major themes of this beautiful story. The daughter of the police detective, Sarah, is the only one who can see Jerome as a ghost. Of the ordeal of the trial, she says, “It’s been lonely. Not talking to anyone. Not being seen” (p. 64). During his life, Jerome tries his best to be unnoticed, but in his death, he is seen. His friend Carlos wants to be seen. He wants a friend. We even meet the ghosts of other Black boys who have been killed. Emmett Till is one. He shows Jerome that until people see Black boys as people, not menaces, then this cycle of violence will continue. The police officer didn’t really see him. It is only after the death, does the police officer see the value of his victim and his own prejudices.
The main characters are given their own voice and room to grow. Jerome speaks of his experience as a poor Black boy in Chicago and is able to contrast it with Sarah’s experience as a white girl in a wealthier part of the city. Jerome is amazed that there are places in his city that have green spaces to play or schools that have librarians. He thinks that students wouldn’t even feel like bullying if they had a school with comfy chairs in the library. Sarah, in her turn, doesn’t presume that her dad, the white policeman, is necessarily “the good guy” that everyone is calling him. She is willing to learn from Jerome and the other ghost boys. However, this does not turn into a “Black character as a guide” trope. Jerome still has his own opinions and his own story. Sarah learns because she’s willing to see and bear witness (a marker of cultural importance to Jerome’s grandmother and his friend Carlos’s Day of the Dead).
This very simple story weaves a complex story of grief and loss and the need to see one another. The language is accessible to mid-grade readers, and the theme of “being seen” will resonate with that age group. While the story focuses on racism, because the story is told by the people of color themselves, it lends authenticity and doesn’t feel forced. It is centered on them and not the people perpetuating racism. In fact, in the end notes, the author, Jewell Parker Rhodes emphasizes this centering by stating that she told Emmett Till’s story from his revised history. “Timothy B. Tyson’s book The Blood of Emmett Till corrects the distorted ‘historical memory’” (p. 206).
Programming Connection
The big theme of Ghost Boys is "being seen." Sarah says of her father, the policeman, "He didn't see you. My father didn't really see you" (p. 109). Students often feel like they aren't seen or add value. For this book, students will create a Flip video book talk for Ghost Boys that we will share on the library's website where others can see and hear them.
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