The Ghost Train Sparknotes

Jess Mowry’s book, The Ghost Train, shows that racism was a big problem back in the 1940s, and although it’s decreased, it is still present in today’s society. Remi Du Mont and Niya Bedford are two African American kids living in a very rough area of Oakland, California. They take a journey back in time fifty years, where they learn the difficulties that Black Americans faced throughout history.

Remi is a Haitian refugee that moved to Oakland because his father taught at the University of California, Berkeley. I’m really impressed with this character because he’s very well rounded and quickly learned that the amenities of America were much better than his home country of Haiti. For instance, in America, Nike shoes were common, but seldom, if ever, seen in Haiti. What seems rich to him seems poor to his American classmates. He and his downstairs neighbor, the street smart, Niya, faced racism daily, as evidenced by the “uncaring and cold” faces they see from Caucasian store owners, soldiers, and policemen. Through their journey, however, they realized how far civil rights have come since the 1940s.

Remi and Niya pass back through time, into a wartime Oakland, where African Americans are forced to work in inhumane conditions, such as the shipyards.

A horrified Remi witnesses unjust acts, such as the murder of their landlord’s husband. After confiding to his friend, Niya says, “Yo, Remi! Get a clue! I don’t know what the laws are like where you come from, but this’s America! Cops don’t care about dead black people today! What you figure they gonna do “bout some poor brutha gettin’ capped fifty years ago?”(pg 131) This shows the racial tensions and the terrible inequalities that exist during the time. This is very disturbing to Remi, being newly arrived from Haiti. It becomes obvious to them that the civil rights, in their day, have come a long way, although they still have much further to go for equality to be

reached.

Jess Mowry expressed his thoughts clearly in this controversial novel. His use of the characters and settings show us the racial tensions and the stereotypes depicted throughout history and modern times. The area of Oakland described is very rough. The kids packed guns at school, crackheads loitered everywhere, and “even wearing a jacket like this can get you a dirt nap.” (pg 27) The contrast between the main characters leads to a very balanced partnership that enables them to navigate through the challenges which face them. Niya is a very courageous, street smart teen, while Remi is quite the opposite. He is described as a very intelligent teenager, as even Niya says “It’s just that I never knew a brutha who read books before...when he didn’t have to.” (pg 61) Mr. Mowry very clearly made us aware that past social evils can persist into the future.

Although progress has been made throughout time, civil rights remain a huge issue. Racial tensions are strong and present in modern society. This book has made me very aware just how unfair being judged can be. It has motivated me to do my best to eliminate racism. All people are equal and should be treated as such. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in civil rights throughout history.