Ghost boys

214 pages

English language

Published Jan. 25, 2018

ISBN:
978-0-316-26228-6
Copied ISBN!
OCLC Number:
1030411497

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(1 review)

"After seventh-grader Jerome is shot by a white police officer, he observes the aftermath of his death and meets the ghosts of other fallen black boys including historical figure Emmett Till"--

2 editions

Review of 'Ghost boys' on 'Goodreads'

Read this as part of my Banned Book Challenge.

I'm not sure what age the target audience is for this YA Novel – late middle school ? – but I thought it did a good job creating an entry point for parents to talk to their kids about racism, unconscious bias and the danger Black boys (and men) face at the hands of white people in this country. I wasn't sure how a book this short would manage to tie together the current day murder of a boy by a police officer with the history of Emmett Till, but through creative use of POV, the author pulled it off.

Subjects

  • Death
  • African Americans
  • Fiction
  • Police shootings
  • Racism
  • Family life

Places

  • Chicago (Ill.)
  • Illinois
  • Chicago