Jerome Rogers Character Analysis in Ghost Boys

Twelve-year-old Jerome Rogers is the protagonist and narrator of Ghost Boys. He resides in an impoverished Chicago neighborhood with his Ma, Pop, Grandma, and little sister Kim. A polite, well-meaning kid, he is bullied by fellow seventh-graders Eddie, Mike, and Snap. When the novel begins, a white police officer, Officer Moore, has just shot Jerome to death, mistaking the five-foot, 90-pound middle-schooler playing with a toy gun for a threatening adult with a real firearm. Through flashbacks, the novel reveals that on the day Jerome was shot, he made friends with a new kid at school, Carlos, who used the toy gun to scare off the bullies threatening him and Jerome. Carlos offered to lend the toy to Jerome for a day—and Jerome, despite knowing his parents wouldn’t like it, accepted the toy because he wanted to misbehave and have fun for once. After Jerome’s death, he remains haunting Chicago, though the only living person who can hear him is his killer’s middle-schooler daughter, Sarah Moore. While haunting Chicago, Jerome also encounters the ghost of Emmett Till, a historical lynching victim brutally murdered in 1955 at age 14. By repeatedly discussing his death with Emmett and with Sarah, Jerome comes to realize that his shooting is part of a long historical pattern of racist violence against Black boys. He decides that his purpose in the afterlife is to inspire the living to make antiracist social change and to bear witness to the injustice of his own and other Black boys’ deaths. At the novel’s end, Jerome has decided to join Emmett in helping the ghosts of other murdered Black boys bear witness—and he directly addresses his readers, asking them to bear witness as well.

Jerome Rogers Quotes in Ghost Boys

The Ghost Boys quotes below are all either spoken by Jerome Rogers or refer to Jerome Rogers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Progress, Storytelling, and Justice Theme Icon

I’m dead.

I thought I was bigger. Tough. But I’m just a bit of nothing.

My arms are outstretched like I was trying to fly like Superman.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 3

Explanation and Analysis:

In the opening scene of Ghost Boys, Jerome has become a ghost observing his own body. This brief scene reveals only that Jerome was shot twice in the back, not how old he is or who killed him—yet the language in this quote highlights Jerome’s youth. His language strongly implies that he is a child. He used to believe that he was “bigger” and “tough,” simple words that suggest a boy who wants to be more grown-up and imposing than he really is. When he compares the posture of his corpse to Superman, the famous DC Comics superhero, he reveals Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissim

I’m pudgy, easily teased. But when I’m a grown-up, everybody’s going to be my friend. I might even be president. Like Obama.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 9

Explanation and Analysis:

When the novel reaches this flashback to Jerome’s life, readers already know that a police officer (Officer Moore) will shoot 12-year-old Jerome to death. Given this context, Jerome’s anticipation of becoming a “grown-up” is an example of dramatic irony, a situation in fiction when readers know something that characters do not that changes the meaning of characters’ words: whereas Jerome believes himself to be expressing his hopes when he talks about becoming “a grown-up,” readers (who know he’ll never grow up) experience his statements as tragically ironic. As Jerome expresses hopes for his adulthood throughout the novel’s flashbacks to his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam

Grandma dropped out of elementary school to care for her younger sisters. Ma and Pop finished high school. Me and Kim are supposed to go to college.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Pop Rogers, Officer Moore, Kim Rogers, Grandma, Ma Rogers

Page Number and Citation: 13

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome has just explained his Ma’s desire that Kim and Jerome become educated. When Jerome tells the story of his family’s education, it implies that each generation does a little better than the previous generation and passes on its gains to the next: though Grandma didn’t get to finish elementary school, the next generation (Ma and Pop) finished high school, and Ma and Pop in turn plan to make sure their own children, Jerome and Kim, attend college. Yet readers already know that the Rogers family story won’t be one of uninterrupted generational progress: a police officer (Officer Moore) is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus qu

Ma always says, “In this neighborhood, getting a child to adulthood is perilous.”

I looked up the word. Perilous. “Risky, dangerous.”

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Ma Rogers (speaker), Kim Rogers, Grandma, Officer Moore, Pop Rogers

Page Number and Citation: 13

Explanation and Analysis:

As Jerome prepares to walk his little sister Kim to school, he reflects on how she’ll still be a teenager when he’s an adult and everyone will still be worrying about her. The novel has already made clear that all the adults in Jerome and Kim’s family—Grandma, Ma, and Pop—worry about the children’s safety. Readers know that this fear will be retrospectively justified, as a white police officer (Officer Moore) is going to shoot 12-year-old Jerome to death due to subconscious racial bias. Yet Ma’s invocation of “this neighborhood” in discussing the difficulties of raising children suggests that she is Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserun

“Every goodbye ain’t gone,” Grandma says.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Grandma (speaker), Reverend Thornton, Ma Rogers

Page Number and Citation: 24

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome, haunting his own wake, overhears the Reverend Thornton telling his family that Jerome is “in a better place,” a platitude to which Grandma replies, “Every goodbye ain’t gone.” In context, Grandma is clearly suggesting that Jerome’s spirit is still with the family. Reverend Thornton and Ma both criticize Grandma’s suggestion, implying that it’s a piece of ignorant Southern superstition, but Grandma is right: Jerome is haunting the family at that very moment. Thus, while the novel suggests elsewhere that formal education is important, its representation of Grandma as possessing folk wisdom dismissed by more educated characters implies that formal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit ne

“Emmett. Just like Emmett Till,” says Grandma. “He was a Chicago boy, too.”

“This isn’t 1955,” says Reverend, calming.

“Tamir Rice, then,” shouts Pop. “2014. He died in Cleveland. Another boy shot just because he’s black.”

Related Characters: Reverend Thornton (speaker), Grandma (speaker), Jerome Rogers (speaker), Pop Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 24–25

Explanation and Analysis:

As Jerome haunts his wake, he overhears his family and Reverend Thornton discussing historical analogues to his killing. Grandma mentions Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy from Chicago lynched by two white men while visiting his cousins in Mississippi in 1955. When Reverend Thornton claims that “this isn’t 1955,” he’s implicitly claiming that the historical conditions when Emmett Till was murdered (e.g. Jim Crow laws, a system of white-supremacist, segregationist laws active in various U.S. states until 1968) no longer exist. In response, Pop mentions Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old boy shot in a public park in Cleveland in 2014 by Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam.

“In San Antonio, school’s always trouble. Everyone fights. Everyone’s afraid. I hope it’s better here.”

The tuna’s dirt dry. I almost choke. “We fight here, too,” I say, honest. “That’s why we have security guards. Metal detectors.”

Related Characters: Carlos Rodríquez (speaker), Jerome Rogers (speaker), Mr. Myers

Page Number and Citation: 39

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome has befriended a new boy in his class, Carlos, whom their teacher Mr. Myers unwittingly singled out and made a target for bullying. After Jerome shows Carlos how to hide in the bathroom during lunch to avoid bullies, Carlos expresses his hopes that the new school will be better than his old school in San Antonio, which was characterized by “fights” and fear. Though Jerome wants to be encouraging, he decides to be “honest” with Jerome, admitting that their school has “security guards” and “metal detectors” for a reason. This exchange makes clear that Carlos has had to deal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad te

“You’re nothing in Chicago. Say it.” Snap twists Carlos’s arm. “Say it, ‘I’m nothing.’”

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Snap (speaker), Eddie, Mike, Officer Moore, Carlos Rodríquez

Page Number and Citation: 43

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome’s bullies Eddie, Mike, and Snap have found Jerome and new student Carlos where they’ve been hiding in the bathroom during lunch. Mike and Snap proceed to beat up Carlos while Eddie prevents Jerome from intervening. During the attack, Snap tries to get Carlos to say he’s “nothing.” This language, “nothing,” echoes the language Jerome uses at the beginning of the novel to describe his own corpse: “I’m just a bit of nothing.” In that context, the language seemed to imply that someone who saw Jerome as less than a person, as “nothing,” had shot him. Thus, when Snap tries Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta

“Black lives matter!” someone hollers.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 52

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome is haunting the preliminary hearing to determine whether Officer Moore, who shot Jerome, will face criminal charges. In the general uproar after Officer Moore claims he felt threatened by Jerome, a 12-year-old with a toy gun, an anonymous attendee shouts, “Black lives matter!” Black Lives Matter is a racial justice movement that originally coalesced in the early 2010s to protest the killings of unarmed Black people, especially children and teens. Notable victims include Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old killed by neighborhood watch coordinator George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida in February 2012; Michael Brown, an 18-year-old killed by police officer Darren Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. No

“We could be friends.”

“That’s the stupidest thing.” I’ve never had a friend like Sarah. A white girl. I laugh, it’s so stupid. Die, and a white girl can be your friend.

“I’m not trying to be funny. Stay.”

She’s pleading. I feel sorry for her. My school doesn’t have any Sarahs.

Related Characters: Sarah Moore (speaker), Jerome Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 67

Explanation and Analysis:

At one of the preliminary hearings to determine whether Officer Moore will face criminal charges for killing Jerome, Jerome realizes that Officer Moore’s middle-school-aged daughter, Sarah, is the only living person who can see and hear him now that he’s a ghost. Later, he goes to the Moores’ house to investigate. Sarah, having realized that Jerome is the ghost of the boy her father shot, apologizes, speculates that she’s meant to help Jerome somehow, and suggests that they become friends. Sarah and Jerome’s dialogue reveals how de facto racial segregation in Chicago schools has limited both characters’ life experiences. (De Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et

Who knew THE END wasn’t the end?

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Emmett Till, Sarah Moore, Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 68

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome has gone to the house of Officer Moore, the police officer who killed him, to investigate why Officer Moore’s daughter Sarah is the only living person who can see or hear him. When Sarah asks whether Jerome isn’t meant to travel to some afterlife, Jerome thinks about how much he hates haunting his grieving family and asks himself, “Who knew THE END wasn’t the end?” “THE END” is a traditional title card used to indicate the end of old films. In the novel, Jerome is simply lamenting that his “END”—that is, his death—isn’t the end of his existence in Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur ma

I’m always good. (Teasing Kim doesn’t count.) I say what Grandma wants to hear. Calm her and Ma. Watch out for Kim. Play Minecraft for just an hour. (Okay, sometimes two.) Do my homework. Even act nice when Mr. Myers isn’t asking me (he’s asking the whole class!) to welcome the new kid. Sucker. That’s me. Why can’t I have some fun? Pretend I’m a rebel in Rogue One?

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore, Mr. Myers, Snap, Mike, Carlos Rodríquez, Eddie, Kim Rogers

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 78

Explanation and Analysis:

Carlos has scared off the bullies (Eddie, Mike, and Snap) tormenting him and Jerome using a gun that he later reveals to Jerome is a toy. Now, he’s offering it to Jerome, and Jerome’s internal monologue reveals some of the reasons he wants to take the toy. Jerome feels trapped between adult responsibilities and the fact that he’s just a kid who must listen to authority figures. On the one hand, he feels obligated to reassure his Grandma and Ma when they worry about his safety. This behavior is something that highlights that Jerome is being forced to grow up Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima au

I read the first line: “All children, except one, grow up.”

I frown. “What happened? Did he die?”

“No.” Sarah’s face reddens. “He doesn’t die. He stays a kid. He wants to stay a kid.”

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Sarah Moore (speaker), Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 91

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome is visiting Sarah’s room after a break in the preliminary hearing to determine whether Officer Moore will face criminal charges for shooting him. While looking at Sarah’s books, Jerome comes across a copy of Peter Pan (1911) by Scottish author J.M. Barrie (1860—1937). Sarah loves the book, a classic of English children’s literature, while Jerome seems not to have heard of it. This is another detail suggesting that Sarah’s relative economic privilege has given her greater access to books and other educational enrichment opportunities than Jerome has had. The children’s dialogue about Peter Pan’s first line also reveals how Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur l

“What’re you going to be, Sarah?” I shout. “You’re the only one who’s going to grow up.”

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Sarah Moore, Emmett Till

Page Number and Citation: 94

Explanation and Analysis:

The ghost of Emmett Till, whose identity Jerome does not yet know, has appeared in Sarah’s room while Jerome and Sarah are talking. Emmett Till and Jerome briefly discuss what they wanted to be when they grew up—before they became ghosts. When Emmett Till admits that he died in 1955, Jerome is horrified by the thought of haunting the living world for that long. Sarah, beginning to cry, offers to try to help them both—and Jerome, frustrated by the unfairness, demands to know when Sarah is “going to be” in the future, since she’s “the only one who’s going to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et.

“You’re the Chicago boy? Murdered like me?”

“1955. Down South.”

Everybody knew the South was dangerous then.”

“Still is,” answers Emmett.

Related Characters: Emmett Till (speaker), Jerome Rogers (speaker), Grandma

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 97

Explanation and Analysis:

When Jerome asks about the identity of the ghost he has repeatedly encountered, the ghost replies that he’s Emmett Till. Jerome, having heard Grandma briefly describe Emmett Till briefly earlier in the novel, asks whether Emmett Till is the murdered “Chicago boy.” The two characters’ brief ensuing dialogue reveals both Jerome’s frustration with his own situation and the similarities between the two boys’ murders. Jerome reacts cruelly and dismissively when Emmett Till explains that he was killed “down South” in 1955: his claim that “everybody knew” the South was dangerous in that period implies that Emmett Till should have known Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rer

Strangely, courtroom benches remind me of church pews. Long, hard, polished wood.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Carlos Rodríquez, Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 129

Explanation and Analysis:

On the second day of the preliminary hearing to determine whether Officer Moore will face criminal charges for shooting Jerome, Jerome notices that the courtroom benches look like church pews. On the surface, Jerome is making a throwaway observation about the material of which the benches and pews are both made: “long, hard, polished wood.” Yet by comparing part of the courtroom to part of a church in Jerome’s voice, the novel is subtly suggesting a comparison between justice and religion. Though religion is not a theme at the forefront of Ghost Boys, both Jerome’s family and his new friend Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque

“I was in fear for my life,” he says, more forcefully.

If I were alive, my whole body would be trembling. Officer Moore speaks (I think) a truth he believes. When truth’s a feeling, can it be both? Both true and untrue?

Related Characters: Officer Moore (speaker), Jerome Rogers (speaker)

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 131132

Explanation and Analysis:

On the second day of the preliminary hearing to determine whether Officer Moore will face charges for shooting Jerome, the prosecuting lawyer asks why Officer Moore shot Jerome in the back. Officer Moore repeatedly insists that he was “in fear for [his] life.” On the face of it, this claim makes no sense: Jerome was running away from Officer Moore when Officer Moore shot him. Even if the toy gun Jerome was holding had been real—as Officer Moore claims he believed it was—Jerome still would not have posed a threat to Officer Moore’s life. Yet Jerome, who has previously supposed Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti n

“An emergency nine-one-one call, a young man with a realistic-looking gun, a concern for public safety, and an officer’s fear for his life are all facts I’ve considered.

“In the opinion of this court, there is not enough evidence to charge Officer Moore with excessive force, manslaughter, or murder.”

Related Characters: The Judge (speaker), Jerome Rogers, Officer Moore

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 138

Explanation and Analysis:

The judge presiding over the preliminary hearing to determine whether Officer Moore will face criminal charges for shooting Jerome to death is announcing her decision that “there is not enough evidence” to press charges. This judgment illustrates the ways that racial bias—particularly racist perceptions of Black children—can cause the law to be enforced in racist ways. When the judge claims that Officer Moore cannot even be tried for “excessive force”—though he shot an unarmed 12-year-old in the back while that 12-year-old was running away—she calls Officer Moore’s victim a “young man.” But Jerome was not a “young man” when Officer Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint

Emmett’s the leader. The leader of our crew. An unnatural alliance—young, but dead.

Ghost boys.

I understand now. Everything isn’t all about me.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), The Judge, Emmett Till, Officer Moore

Page Number and Citation: 147

Explanation and Analysis:

After the judge rules that Officer Moore will not face charges for killing Jerome, Jerome watches Emmett Till and the other ghost boys and thinks about the long history of violence against Black boys in the U.S. Up to this point in the novel, Jerome has tended to deny his similarities with Emmett Till, a historical lynching victim murdered in 1955 in Jim Crow Mississippi. Jerome regularly claims that things were different in Emmett Till’s day and implies that his own death 60-plus years after Till’s is somehow more unjust. Jerome has also tended to focus on himself as he Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedi

Scornful, Emmett boasts. “Life’s different in Chicago. I talk with white people all the time.”

“No, you don’t,” scolds Simeon.

“I do. I’ll show you.” He heads toward the store.

“Don’t,” says Simeon.

“Think I’m scared?”

Related Characters: Emmett Till (speaker), Jerome Rogers (speaker)

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 154

Explanation and Analysis:

Through a supernatural process, Emmett Till is showing Jerome scenes from the past leading up to his murder. The historical Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American boy from Chicago, was murdered while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. Emmett Till’s murderers, two adult white men named Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, claimed to be avenging Carolyn Bryant, Roy Bryant’s wife’s, honor, as Emmett Till spoke to her directly. Ghost Boys represents Emmett Till’s murder as a parallel to Jerome’s later murder: both boys were killed by adult white men precisely for acting like children. Emmett Till dies because he wants to Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi qui

Emmett murmurs, “Bear witness.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Everyone needs their story heard. Felt. We honor each other. Connect across time.”

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Emmett Till (speaker), Officer Moore

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 161

Explanation and Analysis:

After Emmett Till tells Jerome about his brutal murder at the hands of two adult white men, Jerome howls to express his grief that his and Emmett Till’s unjust deaths have caused. The other ghost boys join in. Afterwards, Emmett Till instructs Jerome to “bear witness.” This phrase is an important one because it suggests the purpose of the novel overall: Ghost Boys is trying to help the stories of real, historical Black boys killed by racist violence be “heard” and “felt” by readers. Ghost Boys is trying to make the story of its protagonist, Jerome Rogers, “heard” and “felt.” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Mi

“I was ashamed.”

“Never be. You’re a good son. Everyone gets scared sometimes. It’s how you handle it that matters.”

Related Characters: Carlos Rodríquez (speaker), Jerome Rogers, Officer Moore

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 169

Explanation and Analysis:

Carlos has just admitted to his father that he used a toy gun to scare off bullies and then lent the toy gun to his new friend Jerome. Jerome was playing with the toy gun from Carlos when Officer Moore, mistaking the toy for a real firearm, shot him. Carlos expects his father will be furious, but in fact, his father is just sad and angry that Carlos has been going to school terrified of experiencing rampant bullying. He gently discourages Carlos’s shame at having been afraid, saying, “Everyone gets scared sometimes. It’s how you handle it that matters.” This Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusant

“Can’t undo wrong. Can only do our best to make things right.”

Related Characters: Grandma (speaker), Kim Rogers, Jerome Rogers, Carlos Rodríquez

Related Symbols: Toy Gun

Page Number and Citation: 174

Explanation and Analysis:

After Carlos admits to Grandma that he gave Jerome the toy gun, Grandma realizes that Jerome’s little sister Kim knew Jerome had the toy gun but didn’t tell any adults in their family. The “wrong” here is Kim not being honest with adults: she is not responsible for Officer Moore mistaking the toy for a real firearm and shooting Jerome. Grandma’s claim that people “can’t undo wrong” but can only focus on “mak[ing] things right” sheds light on the novel’s representation of murdered Black boys. When Grandma says that people “can’t undo wrong,” the novel is implicitly stating that the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore

Emmett told me that the men who killed him never believed they did wrong. An all-white jury found them innocent.

The judge said there wasn’t enough evidence to charge Officer Moore with a crime. But he’s not celebrating.

Is that progress?

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Officer Moore, Emmett Till

Page Number and Citation: 183

Explanation and Analysis:

Jerome, contemplating Emmett Till’s murder and his own, wonders whether the different reactions of Emmett Till’s killers and his own constitute “progress” if no one was ever held legally accountable for either murder. By implication, the answer to his rhetorical question, “Is that progress?”, is both “yes” and “no.” In 1955, two adult white men could intentionally and brutally murder a 14-year-old Black boy and never consider it a wrong action; in the 2010s, Officer Moore kills 12-year-old Jerome while responding to a 911 call after misperceiving Jerome as larger, older, and armed due to subconscious racist stereotypes about Black Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corp

Bear witness. My tale is told.

Wake. Only the living can make the world better.

Live and make it better.

Related Characters: Jerome Rogers (speaker), Sarah Moore, Emmett Till

Page Number and Citation: 204

Explanation and Analysis:

In this final section of Ghost Boys, Jerome addresses the reader directly, instructing them to “bear witness” just as Emmett Till earlier instructed him to “bear witness.” This ending makes two points clear. First, Jerome has all along been narrating his story directly to readers, whom he wants to understand and feel strongly about his life and death. Ideally, he’d like them to feel the same way about his story as he did about Emmett Till’s: angry and upset that an innocent Black boy was murdered for acting like a child. Second, Ghost Boys positions itself as an intervention into Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beat

Jerome Rogers Character Timeline in Ghost Boys

The timeline below shows where the character Jerome Rogers appears in Ghost Boys. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Jerome examines his own dead body on the ground: the blood on his sneakers, his open... (full context)

...and video to “Stay back!” and puts his hand on his gun. People start shouting Jerome’s name. Bitterly, he realizes he’s “famous” now. Later, the Chicago Tribune publishes an article about... (full context)

December 8. Morning. While Jerome eats pancakes, Ma makes him promise to come directly home, as she does every day.... (full context)

Grandma tells Jerome and Kim to get moving and hands Ma her lunch bag. Jerome and Kim don’t... (full context)

Ma tells Jerome again to come directly home after school. Grandma hugs Jerome and tells him that she’s... (full context)

Grandma, distressed, asks Jerome to list “three good things”—three is her lucky number. Jerome lists enjoying school, liking snow,... (full context)

Kim, a skinny little kid, is waiting for Jerome by the front door. Jerome thinks how, by the time he’s an adult, Kim will... (full context)

On their walk to school, which is eight blocks, Jerome and Kim walk at an even pace, not drawing attention from anyone who might accost... (full context)

Jerome thinks bullies are worse than drug dealers. To avoid them, he chooses to eat his... (full context)

A girl yells Kim’s name. When Jerome nods, Kim runs to join her friend. Then someone says Jerome’s name. He turns and... (full context)

Ghost. Jerome’s family’s apartment is full of food, extended family members, and Reverend Thornton. It looks like... (full context)

Ma is lying with “swollen eyes” on Jerome’s basketball-themed sheets in his room. Grandma is holding Ma’s hand “like she’s a little girl.”... (full context)

Jerome sees Pop with his eyes closed, shrinking into a corner. He wonders who his father... (full context)

Reverend Thornton says that Jerome is “in a better place.” Jerome wonders whether that’s true. Grandma—over Ma and Reverend Thornton’s... (full context)

Suddenly, Jerome hears a voice say: “Time to wake up.” He wanders around the apartment looking for... (full context)

Church. Jerome haunts the apartment, watching his family. Ma seems like a “sleepwalk[er],” while Pop makes furious... (full context)

The day of his funeral, Jerome joins his dressed-up family for the drive to church. In the car, Ma comments on... (full context)

Jerome’s family enters the church. Jerome moves to follow them—until the other ghost (Emmett Till) appears... (full context)

December 8. School. Jerome’s oblivious middle-school teacher Mr. Myers is introducing a new student, Carlos from San Antonio, at... (full context)

No one speaks Spanish while at Jerome’s school, though some students speak it at home. When Eddie’s mom comes to the school,... (full context)

At lunch, Carlos approaches Jerome and suggests they eat together. Jerome initially tries to dodge Carlos, but he eventually feels... (full context)

Hiding in the stall next to Carlos, Jerome tells him that the middle school, Bearden, isn’t “that bad.” Carlos says he hopes it’s... (full context)

...that while perhaps all schools are bad, he’s never eaten lunch on the toilet before. Jerome, laughing too, hits the stall wall. Carlos hits back, and they play a percussion game... (full context)

People burst into the bathroom. Jerome recognizes Mike’s boots. Someone hits a stall, and Snap calls that it’s empty. They hit... (full context)

...Carlos gets free and strikes at the bullies. Mike knocks Carlos down. While Eddie holds Jerome, Mike and Snap kick Carlos in the gut and head. Jerome yells that he’ll tell... (full context)

Preliminary Hearing. Chicago Courthouse. April 18. Four months after Jerome’s death, he’s in the courthouse, still trapped haunting his family. Ma, Grandma, and Pop sit... (full context)

The lawyer asks how old Jerome was. When Officer Moore says he thought Jerome was a “man” of at least 25,... (full context)

...officers. The judge demands silence. When an attendee shouts, “Black lives matter!”, Grandma shouts that “Jerome mattered” and was a “good boy.” The judge demands order, while security guards advance on... (full context)

...reason to be angry. Eddie asks Carlos how he smuggled a gun into the school. Jerome, edging toward Carlos, demands that the bullies go away. The bullies are pretending that Carlos... (full context)

The lunch bell rings. Jerome—thinking how angry Ma and Grandma will be if they find out he was close to... (full context)

Sarah. Jerome discovers the Moores’ house and floats into the daughter’s (Sarah’s) bedroom. Though terrified, she holds... (full context)

The girl (Sarah) says she’s sorry. The apology makes Jerome furious. He thinks that if she weren’t female and he weren’t dead, he’d consider smacking... (full context)

The girl (Sarah), crying, asks whether she can help Jerome. Then Officer Moore enters the room with “reddened eyes,” tells “Sarah” it’s bedtime, and hugs... (full context)

Sarah asks Officer Moore—too late—whether he made a mistake. Jerome tells her that it was no mistake. When Sarah insists it was, Jerome says he’s... (full context)

Jerome turns to the window and sees the other ghost (Emmett Till) looking up at him... (full context)

Sarah announces that she hates school. When Jerome asks whether kids bully her—an experience he understands—she tells him that people who disapprove of... (full context)

...announces that she doesn’t want people to like her because her father (Officer Moore) shot Jerome to death. Jerome notes that Sarah resembles Officer Moore, which makes it hard to look... (full context)

Jerome, exhausted, sits on the floor. Sarah says that she must see him for a reason.... (full context)

December 8. School. Because Carlos sits next to Jerome in every class, Jerome notices that Carlos is very thin and keeps dozing off as... (full context)

When the bell rings, Jerome says goodbye to Carlos and runs outside to meet Kim. Carlos follows him and asks... (full context)

Kim shows up. Carlos introduces himself as Jerome’s friend, which makes Kim smile happily. Then he offers Jerome the gun—which makes Kim back... (full context)

Jerome reflects on how he’s constantly trying to be a good kid: comforting Ma and Grandma,... (full context)

Carlos tells Jerome and Kim that it’s fine and puts the toy gun back in his pocket, but... (full context)

...“it was dark,” the lawyer points out that it was daytime. Officer Moore says that Jerome was larger than an average 12-year-old. The lawyer asks whether Officer Moore is “prejudiced,” Officer... (full context)

...other ghost (Emmett Till) appears and tries to take her hand. It doesn’t work, but Jerome realizes that Sarah can see the other ghost. The other ghost reaches out to Jerome... (full context)

Lost. Later, Jerome asks whether the other ghost (Emmett Till) told Sarah anything. She says no but suggests... (full context)

When Sarah starts crying, Jerome apologizes, but he doesn’t mean it. He thinks that while Sarah is smart, her life... (full context)

Jerome examines Sarah’s books. Some have stickers declaring that they belong to Sarah Moore, and Jerome... (full context)

As if summoned, the other ghost (Emmett Till) appears. Jerome, noticing his round cheeks, tells him he looks like a chipmunk. Sarah and the other... (full context)

Jerome, horrified at how long the other ghost (Emmett Till) has been dead, thinks that he... (full context)

The other ghost (Emmett Till) puts a hand on Jerome’s arm—and Jerome, to his surprise, can feel it. The other ghost tells Jerome that Sarah... (full context)

Jerome turns to the other ghost (Emmett Till) and demands to know whether they’re both stuck... (full context)

Jerome, recalling Peter Pan’s first line, says he’d do anything if it meant he could grow... (full context)

Jerome, remembering how Grandma compared him to Emmett Till, asks whether he’s the other boy from... (full context)

Real. Jerome thinks it would be “real” to finish his education, get a job, help his family... (full context)

When Emmett Till—talking about baseball and basketball—says that culture changes over time, Jerome replies that people should change. Emmett Till expands on Jerome’s insight, saying that while people... (full context)

Abruptly, Jerome asks how Emmett Till died, thinking that his “softness” would make him an even bigger... (full context)

Me & Sarah. Jerome attends the preliminary hearing again. Protestors and police in riot gear are thronging outside the... (full context)

Jerome asks about Sarah recognizing his ghost from a photo. Sarah says that she’s only seen... (full context)

Sarah and Jerome play a video of Jerome being shot from a police car. Sarah, horrified, questions why... (full context)

Sarah, looking grim, apologizes to Jerome repeatedly and wishes she could hug him and resurrect him. She says that Officer Moore... (full context)

...toy gun was real. The defense objects, the judge sustains it, and the questioning ends. Jerome feels bad for the operator; he believes the police would have killed him even if... (full context)

Civil Rights. Jerome goes with Sarah to her school, which has a predominantly white student body and very... (full context)

Jerome asks Sarah to ask about Emmett Till. When Sarah does, Ms. Penny says Sarah can... (full context)

When Ms. Penny starts apologizing, Jerome shouts that she was right: adults killing children is awful. Sarah, glancing at Jerome, says... (full context)

Sarah asks whether Ms. Penny is saying that Jerome’s death doesn’t matter as much. Ms. Penny says no—when the Civil Rights Movement began, she... (full context)

Wander. Jerome wanders randomly, wondering why he’s still haunting the living world. Suddenly, Emmett Till appears beside... (full context)

...eyes and a fallen face, takes the stand. The lawyer asks him whether he told Jerome he was police, asked Jerome to drop the gun, or asked Jerome to put up... (full context)

The lawyer—over the defense’s objection—asks whether Officer Moore gave Jerome any medical help or called 911. The judge sustains the objection, but Officer Moore still... (full context)

...into school and accompanying her and Grandma back to their apartment from school—standing in for Jerome. Though Kim is even thinner than she used to be and very serious, she sometimes... (full context)

...Carlos that she trusts him, he acts proud—but when she comments that she didn’t know Jerome had such a good friend, he jogs off to join Kim up ahead. Jerome, watching... (full context)

Preliminary Hearing. Chicago Courthouse. April 19. On the hearing’s second day, Jerome notices that courtroom benches resemble church pews. He also notices that Sarah isn’t at court—he... (full context)

When Officer Moore takes the stand, the lawyer asks why Jerome was shot “in the back.” Reporters and activists in the courtroom erupt—though Jerome realizes that... (full context)

Roam. Afterward, Jerome is glad not to see Emmett Till or Sarah. He’s heard the phrase “rest in... (full context)

...Chicago Courthouse. April 19. The courtroom returns from its lunch break. The judge announces that Jerome’s death was a horrible, regrettable event—but given the difficulties inherent to policing, Jerome’s “realistic-looking” toy... (full context)

...school, Carlos is walking Kim and Grandma to school and helping Kim carry her backpack—when Jerome sees Eddie, Mike, and Snap waiting on the school stairs. Grandma is worried about the... (full context)

...stops, becomes serious, and tells Carlos he needs to “tell Grandma.” When Carlos, cringing, agrees, Jerome pities him. (full context)

Tell No Lies. Jerome, on his apartment’s steps, hears various neighborhood people telling stories. Their stories seem to make... (full context)

Jerome keeps seeing ghosts, including one, holding a toy gun, who might be “Tamir.” The ghosts... (full context)

Jerome again asks Emmett Till how he died, while looking around his neighborhood, noticing how “poor”... (full context)

...train to Mississippi that arrived on August 21, and he died a week later. Suddenly, Jerome is pulled into the story as if it were a film: he sees Emmett Till... (full context)

...talks to white people plenty in Chicago and asks whether the cousin thinks he’s “scared.” (Jerome, watching, begs Emmett Till not to do anything foolish.) The cousins try to explain that... (full context)

...bubble gum, hands the white woman behind the counter a penny, says goodbye, and leaves. (Jerome sees the woman’s infuriated, loathing expression. He yells at Emmett Till to run). Outside, Emmett... (full context)

Outside the flashback, Emmett Till tells Jerome that he pleaded with his cousins not to tell his great-uncle and -aunt what had... (full context)

...tie his body to a wheel with barbed wire and dump him in the river. Jerome, watching, notices Emmett Till’s hat abandoned on the bank. (full context)

With the story finished, Jerome tells Emmett Till how sorry he is. Emmett Till replies that all ghost boys feel... (full context)

Afterward, Jerome speculates that maybe a person is singing the hymn “Amazing Grace” someplace in the world.... (full context)

School’s Out. As the seasons pass, Jerome keeps warning Black children who can’t hear him to stay “safe.” He roams his neighborhood... (full context)

Carlos. Jerome hasn’t seen Carlos since the day Kim told Carlos he needed to tell Grandma. He... (full context)

Jerome remembers that he touched Sarah’s book and wonders whether he could do that with Carlos’s... (full context)

...the photo, Carlos says “not anymore,” explains that the boy was his first Chicago friend Jerome, and bursts into violent tears. When Carlos’s father sits on the bed and hugs him,... (full context)

...he says: “It could’ve been you.” Frightened by this realization, Carlos grabs his father’s hand. Jerome lays his ghost-hand on top of theirs, though they can’t feel it. (full context)

Carlos says that he has to admit what happened to Jerome’s family. Carlos’s father asks whether Carlos wants accompaniment. Jerome sees that Carlos wants to say... (full context)

...to do it, she offers to help—and when he demurs, she tells him it’s what Jerome would have wanted. Surprised, he thanks her. They walk through the living room, where Carlos... (full context)

...cookie. Judging from Carlos’s expression, he can’t enjoy the food. Grandma says that she wishes Jerome had invited Carlos over, because she was worried he didn’t have friends, and asks whether... (full context)

Grandma says that she regrets not keeping Jerome inside the day he was shot, but she suspected he was doing something “a bit... (full context)

...good things.” Kim, laughing and crying, explains that Grandma thinks the number three is lucky. Jerome notices that Carlos is standing in for him in a lucky trio: Grandma, Kim, and... (full context)

...to Officer Moore and has removed all the pink items in her room—developments that worry Jerome. She’s on the computer all the time. Jerome has noticed that while her neighborhood is... (full context)

Jerome, looking at Sarah’s computer. He recognizes that she’s put a lot of effort into the... (full context)

Jerome notices how “fierce” learning about violence against children has made Sarah, yet he’s troubled that... (full context)

In his mind, Jerome compares the terrible mistake that Officer Moore made to the terrible bullying that Eddie, Mike,... (full context)

Sarah, looking at her computer, says that there are “so many stories.” Jerome looks at the names of other murdered Black boys on Sarah’s screen and thinks that... (full context)

Popping back up in Sarah’s room, Jerome tells her that her attempts to bear witness for him do matter. Tentatively, Sarah ventures... (full context)

Sarah nervously admits to Jerome that in a way, she’s happy Officer Moore won’t be tried for murder, because she... (full context)

Jerome tells Sarah again that she should talk to Officer Moore. She admits she’s afraid. Jerome... (full context)

Jerome imagines Sarah growing up to be a writer, protestor, teacher, and mother who raises her... (full context)

Jerome wonders whether white people are afraid of Black people due to slavery and wishes he... (full context)

Jerome, outside Sarah’s house, hears Sarah call to Officer Moore. She runs downstairs and finds him... (full context)

...Grandma celebrates as All Saints’ Day and Carlos’s family celebrates as the Day of the Dead—Jerome’s and Carlos’s families have a picnic on Jerome’s grave. Grandma, Carlos, and Kim ornament Jerome’s... (full context)

Grandma, gesturing with a piece of paper, tells Carlos it’s very meaningful to her. Jerome looks at the paper and sees a drawing of himself as a skeleton. Carlos explains... (full context)

Emmett Till, popping into existence beside Jerome, says that Jerome and all the ghost boys are remembered. When Jerome asks whether the... (full context)

Jerome tells Emmett Till that Sarah will “do good”; internally, he adds that Carlos and Kim... (full context)

That Day. Jerome is happily playing outside with the toy gun. He imagines he’s a famous actor pretending... (full context)

A car rushes toward Jerome. He starts sprinting away when two gunshots ring out. Jerome falls and watches his blood... (full context)

Jerome announces that it’s the end of his story, asks his audience to “bear witness,” and... (full context)

Jerome Rogers Character Analysis

Jerome Rogers Quotes in Ghost Boys

Dead (p. 3–5) Quotes

Alive (p. 9–16) Quotes

Dead (p. 21–31) Quotes

Alive (p. 35–44) Quotes

Dead (p. 49–53) Quotes

Dead (p. 63–70) Quotes

Alive (p. 75–80) Quotes

Dead (p. 85–191) Quotes

Dead (p. 204) Quotes

Jerome Rogers Character Timeline in Ghost Boys