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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Racial violence including lynching referenced through the ghost's history; contemporary violence around the prison system
Language
Some
Adult language in Ward's literary register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content
Substance Use
A lot
The mother's drug addiction is central; depicted with unflinching honesty
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological weight of historical racial trauma and its presence in contemporary life — ghosts as a literal manifestation of history that will not rest — is the novel's most profound and original achievement
What this book is about
Jesmyn Ward's National Book Award-winning novel follows thirteen-year-old Jojo and his drug-addicted mother Leonie on a road trip to pick up Leonie's boyfriend from prison. Ward weaves together multiple voices, including a ghost, to explore Mississippi's history of racial violence and the long aftereffects of poverty, addiction, and unresolved historical trauma. Ward writes with lyrical power; the novel is devastating and essential.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
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