Boys in the Hood Book Club is starting a new book Friday, April 9, 2021 at 6:30pm. “Ghost Boys” by Jewell Parker Rhodes is a great book that incorporates very real time social issues, history, validation and understanding. At the end of our read we will have a live discussion with Peace Officers and Mental Health Professionals from our community.
Books are available for pick up starting Saturday, April 3, 2021 at All Things Literacy Books and More at 2251 Florin Rd, Ste 113, Sacramento, CA 95822.
“Ghost Boys” is a heartbreaking but 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 socio-political 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.
Tap In. Peace and Literal Influence!