Overview

A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes. Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better. Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who 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. Soon Jerome meets another ghost: Emmett Till, a boy from a very different time but similar circumstances. Emmett helps Jerome process what has happened, on a journey towards recognizing how historical racism may have led to the events that ended his life. Jerome also meets Sarah, the daughter of the police officer, who grapples with her father's actions. Once again Jewell Parker Rhodes deftly weaves historical and sociopolitical layers into a gripping and poignant story about how children and families face the complexities of today's world, and how one boy grows to understand American blackness in the aftermath of his own death.

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9781549172427

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Reviews

A timely, challenging book that's worthy of a read, further discussion, and action. -- Kirkus Reviews Beautifully weaves together the fictional and the historical...in this gripping and all-too-necessary novel about police brutality, injustice, and the power of bearing witness to the stories of those who are gone. -- Booklist (starred review) Deftly woven and poignantly told, this a story about society, biases both conscious and unconscious, and trying to right the wrongs of the world. Verdict: Rhodes captures the all-too-real pain of racial injustice and provides an important window for readers who are just beginning to explore the ideas of privilege and implicit bias. -- School Library Journal (starred review) In a stirring narration, Miles Harvey brings to life an American story that is chillingly familiar...Harvey captures this outsider perspective through the rhythm of his delivery, marked by short sentences and direct questions...Harvey exhibits an emotional range that further intensifies the story...In contrast, the author soberly narrates the afterword, inspiring listeners to bear witness to the truth underlying fiction. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award. -- AudioFile In writing that's spare and powerful, Rhodes takes us into...a kid's-eye-view of violence and racism that balances innocence and outrage, wrenching loss and hard-won hope. -- Chicago Tribune Rhodes writes in short, poetic chapters that offer graphic depictions of avoidable tragedies; her hope for a better world packs a powerful punch, delivering a call to action to speak out against prejudice and erase harmful misconceptions. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) Unblinkingly confronts challenging perspectives and the mutability of truth. -- Shelf Awareness

A timely, challenging book that's worthy of a read, further discussion, and action. -- Kirkus Reviews Unblinkingly confronts challenging perspectives and the mutability of truth. -- Shelf Awareness Deftly woven and poignantly told, this a story about society, biases both conscious and unconscious, and trying to right the wrongs of the world. Verdict: Rhodes captures the all-too-real pain of racial injustice and provides an important window for readers who are just beginning to explore the ideas of privilege and implicit bias. -- School Library Journal (starred review) Beautifully weaves together the fictional and the historical...in this gripping and all-too-necessary novel about police brutality, injustice, and the power of bearing witness to the stories of those who are gone. -- Booklist (starred review) Rhodes writes in short, poetic chapters that offer graphic depictions of avoidable tragedies; her hope for a better world packs a powerful punch, delivering a call to action to speak out against prejudice and erase harmful misconceptions. -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) In a stirring narration, Miles Harvey brings to life an American story that is chillingly familiar...Harvey captures this outsider perspective through the rhythm of his delivery, marked by short sentences and direct questions...Harvey exhibits an emotional range that further intensifies the story...In contrast, the author soberly narrates the afterword, inspiring listeners to bear witness to the truth underlying fiction. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award. -- AudioFile In writing that's spare and powerful, Rhodes takes us into...a kid's-eye-view of violence and racism that balances innocence and outrage, wrenching loss and hard-won hope. -- Chicago Tribune

Author Information

Jewell Parker Rhodes is the author of several books, including Sugar, winner of the Jane Adams Peace Association book award, and Ninth Ward, which was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, a Notable Book for a Global Society, and a Today Show Al's Book Club for Kids selection. She has also written many award-winning books for adults. Miles Harvey is a voice talent and an Earphones Award-winning narrator.

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