The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

The Nickel Boys

by Colson Whitehead

In this Pulitzer Prize-winning, New York Times bestselling follow-up to The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
 
When Elwood Curtis, a black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee, is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy, he finds himself trapped in a grotesque chamber of horrors. Elwood’s only salvation is his friendship with fellow “delinquent” Turner, which deepens despite Turner’s conviction that Elwood is hopelessly naive, that the world is crooked, and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble. As life at the Academy becomes ever more perilous, the tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision whose repercussions will echo down the decades.
 
Based on the real story of a reform school that operated for 111 years and warped the lives of thousands of children, The Nickel Boys is a devastating, driven narrative that showcases a great American novelist writing at the height of his powers and “should further cement Whitehead as one of his generation's best" (Entertainment Weekly). 

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
TimeEsquireThe Washington PostThe GuardianSlate, NPR, Entertainment WeeklyVoxVarietyChristian Science MonitorThe Minneapolis Star TribuneThe Dallas Morning NewsLiterary Hub, BuzzFeed, The New York Public Library

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST

ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 10 BEST FICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE

WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE

LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD

LONGLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL FICTION 2020

Reviewed by moraa on

4 of 5 stars

Share
We must believe in our souls that we are somebody, that we are significant, that we are worthful, and we must walk the streets of life every day with this sense of dignity and this sense of somebody-ness.

I loved every bit of it. And that twist at the end was everything.

Excuse me while my soul recovers from this harrowing experience.

CONTENT WARNINGS: allusion to rape, allusion to sexual abuse, depictions of torture, and racism.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 February, 2020: Finished reading
  • 14 February, 2020: Reviewed