Ghost Boys

Product Information

Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.

Ghost Boys, by Jewell Parker Rhodes is about twelve-year-old Jerome, who is shot by a police officer that 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. During the late 1980s, Pistorius and his parents were living in South Africa, when at the age of 12 he slowly began developing symptoms that included losing the ability to move by himself. [4] [9] Doctors were unable to diagnose the exact ailment and believed it was cryptococcal meningitis and tuberculosis of the brain. [4] [10] Martin, the man who tells us that impossible is nothing when you’ve got the fortitude, the will, and love for what you aim to be, shares with us his unbelievable, sore story yet touching and moving. My reason for rating this book at four stars instead of five is that I still yearned for more information after reading this book. I understand the authors' approach in avoiding what they judge would be unnecessarily detailed minutiae of a confined intellect - but I'm one of those insatiable people who need to know as much as I can soak up about this awe-inspiring experience and Martin's ongoing recovery. More by chance than anything else, one carer finally suspects that Martin’s movements could be more than random and actually considers them signs. Only because of one person’s close attention and conviction is Martin finally assessed and is enabled to start communicating with his environment. Over many years of training and patience and while showing a high degree of intelligence, will power and motivation, he manages to lead a life as normal and happy as he could possibly hope for ever since his awakening.a b c Times, Dan Casey | The Roanoke. "CASEY: Jewell Parker Rhodes taught me in college — 40 years later, her books are being banned". Roanoke Times . Retrieved 2023-01-11. Ghost Boy awakened my emotions, causing me to cry with sadness and with joy. What Martin went through, even though it is displayed in detail, I could in no way imagine what it must have been like. Not being able to say if something is hot or cold, to scream out in pain, to report to another experienced torment. Reading 😭 Ghost Boys while people march globally upon the death of yet another man. Say his name, George Floyd. On one hand, I am really disappointed with how things are handled in the book but on the other hand, I feel it just portrays the reality how we feel hopeless even if we all know the wrong has been done and there's more coming up.

And although this sounds horribly depressing, Rhodes leaves the reader with reason to hope that change is possible. Remembering, making these killings real for people and working towards change and social justice are the important points of Ghost Boys. As Emmett tells Jerome "Bear witness...Everyone needs their story heard. Felt. We honor each other. Connect across time." But this is where I found one flaw in the the novel. Lawson, Dominic (17 July 2011). " Ghost Boy by Martin Pistorius (review)". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015 . Retrieved 12 January 2015.

a b Hager, Emily B (25 July 2012). "For Children Who Cannot Speak, a True Voice via Technology". New York Times . Retrieved 12 January 2015. While parts of the story are difficult to listen to, the whole of it is uplifting. It broke my heart thinking about his parents and their battle to get help for him and also cope with the caregiving he needed. This man and his lady are an inspiration to us all. And it is an important lesson for all. Just because a person can't speak or control the movements of their body doesn't mean they are dumb or aren't there. They can hear, think and feel. We may never know to what extent, but NEVER treat ANYone, no matter what they look like or their disability, as less than yourself. So important for some people to learn.