Ghost Boys

Ghost Boys follows twelve-year-old Jerome, a Black boy who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real weapon. After his death, Jerome becomes a ghost who can observe his family's grief and the aftermath of his shooting, while also encountering the spirits of other Black boys throughout history who died due to racial violence, including Emmett Till. The novel explores themes of racial injustice, police brutality, systemic racism, and the historical pattern of violence against Black children and youth. Through Jerome's ghost perspective, the story examines how his death impacts his family, community, and the white officer's son who witnesses the shooting.