Joplin's Ghost

Joplin's Ghost by Tananarive Due

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I don't know why it took me so long to get around to reading this book. I was probably pouting about having to wait for another one of the Blood Brothers series, and nearly missed a national treasure.

I loved this book!! The "Ghost" thing may have kept me away for a while. And maybe it did take me a few dozen pages to stop checking under the bed for the ghost.

I love the way Ms. Due intertwines the historical life of Scott Joplin with the fictional life of an up-and-coming R&B singer who finds herself possessed by Joplin's Ghost. She easily makes the transition back and forth between the life of a black musician 100 years ago, and the R&B/pop/hip-hop scene of today, with the dangers of syphilis years ago and gang violence today.

By the time I finished the book, I felt like I knew the real Scott Joplin, and I wondered if it isn't also Ms. Due who is possessed by his ghost. Joplin lives on through this book.

This is a must-read. I give it five stars.