Jason Reynolds's Ghost (2016) is a young-adult novel about Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw, a middle-schooler who joins a track team as a sprinter and develops greater behavioral discipline as he trains.
At twelve, Castle lives in an impoverished neighborhood with his mother, who supports them by working in a cafeteria. Castle's alcoholic father is serving a ten-year prison sentence for firing a handgun in Castle's and his mother's direction as they fled their home three years earlier. One day, Castle observes a track practice and challenges a cocky sprinter to a race. Castle's speed impresses Coach Brody. Despite his mother's initial resistance, Castle joins the team. Over the course of the novel, Castle faces challenges, including getting suspended from school for punching a bully, stealing running shoes from a sports store, and facing the reality that his coach knows about the theft. But with the support of his teammates and coach, Castle stays out of trouble. The novel ends with Castle preparing to sprint in his first track meet, hearing his mother and aunt cheer him on from the stands.
Exploring themes of trust, trauma, humility, shame, and camaraderie, Ghost depicts a boy learning to overcome adversity and excel as an athlete. The 2016 novel is the first in Reynolds's bestselling four-part Track series, each of which focuses on a "newbie" member of the Defenders track team: Ghost (2016), Patina (2017), Sunny (2018), and Lu (2018).
