Ghost Boys

Jerome Rogers, a new ghost, looks down at his body in the field where a police officer killed him as he played with a toy gun. His mother rushes to the scene, and the police officer stares at the little boy, apparently surprised that he is so young. Jerome notes with dismay that his body sits in the field many hours after the police have killed him. Crowds gather, and people begin to snap pictures and post videos. His killing has gone viral, and Jerome is surprised to discover that after 12 years as an invisible Black boy, he is now famous.

The news story on his killing is brief, with the officer claiming he “had no choice” but to kill Jerome because Jerome had a gun (5).

The novel flashes back to a pivotal morning leading up to Jerome’s death. It was a typical morning, one in which Mrs. Rogers insisted that Jerome come home immediately after school, told his grandmother three good things to reassure her before he braved the walk to school with his little sister Kim, and thought about his dreams of being a famous athlete or of going to college (his family’s dream for him).