A 2020 Author’s Note to Ghosts of Belle Isle
It’s July 4th weekend, but fireworks have been booming across the globe for months here in the summer of 2020. The world is gradually moving out of quarantine from the COVID-19 pandemic, yet most faces wear masks, many fear that infection rates are spiking, and no one knows how school will look in the fall. Racial protests have also exploded with outrage over police brutality to the African American community and matters of institutional racism. With presidential elections looming in November, our nation’s birthday feels more divided by political lines than ever. In Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy, tensions from Virginia’s spotted past have reached a boiling point over the Confederate statues that line the city’s historic Monument Avenue.
My family moved south to the Richmond area from New Jersey in the spring of 2011. As a “northern Yankee,” I was quickly amazed and inspired by the history that burst from every corner, and I began imagining how to write exciting stories for young readers that featured historical themes. When I wrote Ghosts of Belle Isle in the summer of 2014, my view of the Civil War, segregation, and many issues that had been simmering in Virginia for generations was admittedly distant. I’d seen enough Confederate flags still flying to know that writing on such themes could be complicated, so I attempted to tread lightly, speaking plainly to the evils of slavery, while seeking sensitivity to a southern culture that I was still working to understand.
The “grand” statues that lined Richmond’s Monument Avenue didn’t immediately strike me as hurtful or offensive objects, but rather unique artifacts from a different era whose chapter had been firmly closed by a Union victory. The suggestion of adding historical context and educational signage to the monuments seemed reasonable. I was surprised to learn that the comparatively small and understated statue of Abraham Lincoln behind Tredegar had faced significant opposition when it was unveiled in 2003.
Ghosts features three young kids embroiled in an adventure that includes school bullies, mysterious legends of long-dead soldiers still battling over the James River, a biker gang with southern pride and nostalgia for Confederate leaders like Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee, and other aspects from the war that ripped our young nation apart. As in life, some of the characters in this book are flawed—they can act kindly to children while also holding attitudes that might advance segregationist and racist views. My goal was to prompt young readers (and perhaps older ones too) to question what brought us here, how they see the ever-changing world around them, and consider ways they might positively impact the future.
Remaining uneducated about a topic is often the easiest way to “innocently” ignore injustice. I’m now more intentionally listening to books and stories from voices whose experiences have differed widely from mine. These efforts are by no means complete, but as I’ve dug into the challenging history of reconstruction, Jim Crow, Massive Resistance, land annexation, and more, it’s become clear that some things haven’t changed as much as I’d assumed. While Richmond’s monuments may have been erected to “glorify the southern cause,” they also served to proclaim a stubborn determination to continue treating some people as less-than. Despite Jefferson’s declaring that “all men are created equal,” and Lincoln’s formal proclamations of emancipation, Martin Luther King’s dream of all people being treated equally has not been fulfilled.
Last week I walked back down Monument Avenue with my son on a hot Friday afternoon. I wanted to see with my own eyes the new reality of the Robert E. Lee statue, now blanketed in paint, emotional messages and banners, and small memorials with pictures of victims of racial violence. For many, the shadows cast by these enormous statues served as one of the barriers to true racial healing and reconciliation. The governor has stated plans to soon remove the sixty-foot bronze statue of General Lee from this spot, where he has towered above the avenue on horseback since 1890. Several of Richmond’s Confederate statues have already come down, some upended from their hundred-year-old pedestals by the ropes of protestors, and others by city workers and cranes. To be sure, simply removing some statues will not build better schools, ensure more just treatment by the law, or bring greater economic opportunity, but it could be a start.
Six years have passed since I published Ghosts. That doesn’t seem like a long time, yet the world feels different. I pray that amidst whatever turmoil still lies ahead, our land of imperfect people might come together to find ways to love, understand, and respect one another. That we might continue to strive for a more perfect union where all people are treated equally as they pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Thanks for reading.
