CONTENT WARNINGS: Gun violence, alcoholism, bullying (children on children)
I will not go into specific detail on these topics, but they may be mentioned in this review. These themes/instances are unavoidable in the book
Rating: 4/5
One of the reasons I most like the Great American Reads list is the large amount of variety that makes the list. Ghost is the first book on the list that is marketed as a “Young Reader” book and was found outside the general fiction section of my local bookstore, the back of it even suggesting ages 10 and up. At only 180 pages, it very well might be the shortest book on the list as a whole. After struggling through the last entry on the list for as long as I did, I was really looking forward to a nice and easy, read in two sittings, sort of book. Jason Reynolds’s Ghost definitely delivered on that account.
The story’s main character is a thirteen year old black boy nicknamed, by his own choice, Ghost (we love a title drop). An only child, Ghost and his mother live on one income in the “bad part” of town. Three years prior to the story’s start, Ghost’s father was incarcerated for threatening and attempting to kill his mother and himself in a bout of alcohol-fueled rage. With the young age recommendation on this book, I was originally pretty surprised to have this as a backstory that is openly discussed through the novel. I have a first grader niece, who is reading at a third grade level according to the reading program at her school (and hell yes I’m proud of her). Did I think she could handle something like that?
And then, I had to pause. An American author, writing about gun violence? Of course. The reality of the country I live in is the fact that gun violence is incredibly prevalent. Especially in schools with young children. With the first-person perspective that Reynolds writes in, we see the violence from the eyes of a young man, and it is handled with grace and the level of confusion and fear you might expect. Later in the novel, Ghost has flashbacks to the night, and my heart broke in the perfectness of the way it was captured. Reynold’s story telling really took a difficult to approach issue and made it come across in a way that makes sense for his young audience, and young protagonist.
The majority of the story doesn’t focus on these moments, though. Instead, the main point of the story is Ghost’s somewhat “accidental” joining of a running team. For someone who has only seen running as a tool, a means to escape, the idea of it requiring practice or training is hilarious to him when he sees the team meeting one day. Coach Broady, undeterred by his brush off, eventually gets the boy to join on after seeing him sprint.
The coach and three other newcomers to the team form the main cast of the story, and eventually Ghost’s support system. Being that this is the first of four novels at this time, each focusing on the perspective of one of the young people, you get a clear image of each of them. Ghost, who is typically looked over and passed by unless he’s done something wrong, finds himself supported and embraced at a time any kid truly needs it.
Ghost is a quick and enjoyable read with not a lot of things to judge too harshly. Reynold’s choice to focus on the first-person perspective lets the reader fall into the head of the main character, and the difficulties he faces as a young man. Sometimes it’s hard to write as a child and keep them sounding young, but this isn’t the case here. The troubled, but growing, young man is charming, relatable, and ready to make a change in his life.
All in all, if you’re looking for a quick, engaging read (and maybe a little series you can read with a younger sibling/niece/whatever), I definitely recommend this one.
Macabress Manuscripts 