Ghost Boys

Emmett is based on the historical Emmett Till (1941-1955), who was lynched to death by a mob in Money, Mississippi after interacting informally with Carolyn Bryant, the White wife of one of the men in the mob. Historically, the sight of the 14-year-old’s mutilated body in an open casket galvanized many to act to secure civil rights for Black Americans.

The Emmett Till of the novel is an experienced ghost who serves as a wise guide who shows Jerome how to navigate death. Emmett helps Jerome to understand that he will be tied to his immediate circle of family and friends until he helps them bear witness to his death, grieve, and move on from his death. Emmett also shares the story of his own death to help Jerome place his own death in a larger historical context. 

Sarah is the privileged and sheltered 12-year-old daughter of Officer Moore, the man who kills Jerome. Sarah is a typical middle-class girl leading a comfortable, unexamined life until her father’s actions force her to confront her own privilege, the role of unconscious bias in her father’s actions, and the impact of racism all around her.

With nudges from Jerome, she learns all she can about the killing of Black boys and men, going so far as to build a website to bear witness to these deaths. Sarah finally comes of age by reconciling with her father by asking for his help in building the website. Sarah is the only fully realized White character in the novel. She serves as a foil to Jerome and as a commentary on how White people can become allies in the struggle to end prejudice.

Carlos is a native of San Antonio, Texas and moves to Chicago. Like Jerome, he comes from a working-class family, is lonely, and is the target of bullies. Unlike Jerome, Carlos fights back by brandishing the toy gun the first time the bullies at Jerome’s school attack him. His boldness inspires Jerome to fight back as well and to let his guard down by engaging in fantasy play with the gun. In the aftermath of Jerome’s death, Carlos responds to his guilt and grief by becoming a guardian figure for Kim, Jerome’s sister, and by befriending Grandma Rogers. Carlos comes to greater maturity when he admits to Grandma Rogers that he gave the gun to Jerome.

Officer Moore is the police officer who kills Jerome; he is never brought to trial beyond preliminaries because a judge rules that his defense that he was in fear for his life is enough to shield him from being held accountable. Moore’s character serves as an archetype—the law enforcement officer whose ability to do his job and perceive reality when interacting with Black people is marred by unconscious bias, with tragic consequences. Parker Rhodes adds depth to Moore’s character by showing his efforts to reconnect with his daughter in the aftermath of Jerome’s death. Ultimately, Officer Moore changes as a result of his relationship with Sarah, who enlists him in building her website on the killings of Black boys and men.

The matriarch of the Rogers family, Grandma Rogers is a native of the South and holds folk beliefs, such as the possibility that the dead haunt the living with particular purposes in mind. Before Jerome’s death, Grandma Rogers is an encouraging and protective person who asks Jerome to tell her three good things before he leaves for school and who insists that he must be a good boy even when others in his neighborhood are not. After Jerome’s death, Grandma Rogers is aware of Jerome, but she never sees him. She also helps Kim and Carlos grieve while Jerome’s parents are too consumed with surviving and their own grief to pay attention. Grandma Rogers serves as an important link between Jerome’s generation and the generation that came of age when Emmett Till was murdered.

The younger sister of Jerome, Kim is a well-behaved child who uses books to escape from the difficult surroundings of their neighborhood. Just like her brother, Kim has absorbed the lesson that Black children must be extra careful to avoid death. She looks on in disapproval when Jerome takes toy gun from Carlos because she knows their parents will disapprove. She chooses to keep the toy gun a secret from the Rogers because, unlike their parents, she is aware of how difficult life is as a Black child in their school and neighborhood. Kim’s experiences show that the burden of violence against Black children weighs heavy on girls as well.

Trayvon is a character based on the historical Trayvon Martin (1995-2012), a teenager killed by a vigilante in Sanford, Florida. Martin’s killer was tried and acquitted, and the senselessness of his death was one of several events that roused what eventually became the Black Lives Matter movement. Trayvon has no dialogue in the novel, but his distinctive hoodie and presence in the host of ghost boys drives home the enduring nature of these killings.

Eddie, Snap, and Mike are the three bullies who make Jerome’s life miserable at school, and they begin bullying Carlos immediately as well. Jerome’s fear of these bullies is part of the reason why he takes the toy gun from Carlos. The most significant shift in these characters occurs after Officer Moore is excused from standing trial. They declare a truce with Carlos and claim Kim as family, a temporary peace that shows the possibility of the community coming together as one response to unfairness in the justice system.

Jerome’s parents are vivid, grieving figures at the start of the novel who watch helplessly as their son’s killer is not brought to justice. Mr. Rogers’s response is angry, and he almost immediately makes the connection between Jerome’s death and that of other Black boys and men. Mrs. Rogers also makes the connection by asking that Jerome’s casket be an open one like Emmett Till’s. Prior to Jerome’s death, the Rogers were hardworking, working-class parents intent on helping their children achieve success despite their poor neighborhood and lack of financial resources.