Review: I am Alfonso Jones
OK, first of all, have you seen the cover of this book? It is absolutely devastating, because no one should have to witness the violent death of a friend, yet sadly, many do. On the cover, a young woman cries as she holds a photo of her murdered friend, Alfonso Jones. Alfonso Jones did not have to die, but he was perceived as a threat by customers and police officers and lost his life.
This book has been in my classroom library for a couple of weeks, and I decided to move it up in my reading pile after attending the LA Times Festival of Books. I attended a panel with John Jennings, one of the illustrators. As a scholar, Jennings had a lot to say about everything that is "projected onto black bodies" - and the ways in which black people pay a tragic price for other people's fears.
Aside from being an amazing read, this book would make a perfect addition to an English classroom curriculum. It integrates themes from Hamlet and Invisible Man, using the ghost of Alfonso Jones to tell us about his past, and remind us of the future he will never have.
In death, Alfonso Jones meets other people whose only crime was being black in America. His ghost also visits his family and classmates, showing us the ways in which one death impacts a larger community.
This book makes you feel so. many. things. Rage, mostly, because of the history of repeated injustices faced by innocent people who are viewed with suspicion. We should be angry. And we should fight with all we've got. I believe a change is coming.