“Say what you will. But a person just cannot know what he doesn't know. And you can't always see that a bad thing is going to happen before it happens. If you could, no bad would ever come.”
Seems fitting in our lives right now.
And yet another tough round of smacking down this year. I loved both of these books!
My first read was The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle and I instantly fell in love with Mason. There was a personal connection as he reminded me of a student I had taught for two years when I first started my career. And once you have that, you are hooked as a reader! Mason's honesty and compassion along with his desire to be a good friend is endearing and with all that this young boy has stacked against him, you just want to jump in and help. Although these two books are different in many ways they both are the story of a young boy dealing with challenges far too much for a child to handle on their own.
Ghost Boys wins this round for me. This story weaves history and racial injustice together in a way that engages the reader and makes you want to read more about the events referenced in the book (reminds me of the Patron Saints of Nothing and The Faithful Spy). The historical and current events of illogically killing children based solely on racial judgements is profoundly heartbreaking. Has much changed since Emmett Till's death or have we sadly become accustomed to hearing about unjust tragedy? But through her exceptional talent, Jewell Parker reminds us that bearing witness empowers us to make a positive change. Ghost Boys is a fluid and compelling read that needs to be shared in many classrooms. This is a book that I will definitely be sharing with my classes!
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