GHOST BOYS

In this graphic adaptation of Rhodes’ award-winning 2018 novel, the spirit of a 12-year-old, who was killed by a white police officer while playing outside, is tethered to that of other murdered Black boys.

Jerome Rogers’ parents work long hours, and his grandmother takes care of the house. He’s a loving child who follows the grown-ups’ admonitions as he walks to school with his sister through their perilous Chicago neighborhood. Being a good student makes Jerome a target for bullies, and he befriends new student Carlos, who’s also a target. Carlos offers Jerome a toy gun to defend himself from his persecutors, a spontaneous gesture that has tragic consequences. Now a spirit who can only be seen by Sarah, the daughter of his killer, Jerome witnesses his family’s agony while attempting to process his own grief and stolen dreams. The ghost of Emmett Till appears, showing Jerome his own story and telling him to “bear witness,” but Sarah, who struggles with the fallout from her father’s actions, doesn’t know how to help. Fiadzigbey’s panels are interestingly varied: On the opening page, readers look down from above as the cop stands over Jerome’s small, dead body, unaware that Jerome’s spirit is looking on, too. Paradis effectively uses colors to deepen the emotional impact of the text. Readers will emerge with a more nuanced view of the impact of generations of racism and the ways our actions affect our social systems.

A layered exploration of grief.