I Am Alfonso Jones

By Tony Medina, John Jennings (Illustrator)

A young man's journey in the afterlife reveals truths about justice and loss.

4.1/5 Goodreads · 3,287 ratings

168 pages

$18.95Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Alfonso Jones dreams of starring in a hip-hop Hamlet and confessing his feelings to Danetta. But his life is cut short by an off-duty officer's bullet. Awakening on a ghost train, guided by victims of police violence, Alfonso learns about the afterlife while his loved ones seek justice on Earth. As they navigate grief and activism, Alfonso and his family confront the harsh realities of their world. Will they find peace and justice, or will the cycle of violence continue?

From the publisher

The Hate U Give meets The Lovely Bones in this unflinching graphic novel about the afterlife of a young man killed by an off-duty police officer, co-illustrated by New York Times bestselling artist John Jennings.Alfonso Jones can’t wait to play the role of Hamlet in his school’s hip-hop rendition of the classic Shakespearean play. He also wants to let his best friend, Danetta, know how he really feels about her. But as he is buying his first suit, an off-duty police officer mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun, and he shoots Alfonso. When Alfonso wakes up in the afterlife, he’s on a ghost train guided by well-known victims of police shootings, who teach him what he needs to know about this subterranean spiritual world. Meanwhile, Alfonso’s family and friends struggle with their grief and seek justice for Alfonso in the streets. As they confront their new realities, both Alfonso and those he loves realize the work that lies ahead in the fight for justice. Foreword by Bryan Stevenson, Executive Director of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of Just Mercy

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