The Nickel Boys
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- Create Date：2021-05-21 11:54:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Colson Whitehead
- ISBN：0345804341
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Summary
In this bravura follow-up to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning #1 New York Times bestseller The Underground Railroad， Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys 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。
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。
Reviews
Jim
，
Considering the subject matter I felt this book was rather restrained in its delivery。 Maybe I just think trauma is best viewed in all its ugly， nasty， awful horror。 But Whitehead writes strong， beautiful， deep prose and he gets his points across - and there are many - extremely effectively without resorting to overt descriptions of ugliness。 We move forward and back through time， seeing things mostly through the life of Elwood。 He is a different sort of person， or at least unlike his peers。 Whi Considering the subject matter I felt this book was rather restrained in its delivery。 Maybe I just think trauma is best viewed in all its ugly， nasty， awful horror。 But Whitehead writes strong， beautiful， deep prose and he gets his points across - and there are many - extremely effectively without resorting to overt descriptions of ugliness。 We move forward and back through time， seeing things mostly through the life of Elwood。 He is a different sort of person， or at least unlike his peers。 Whitehead's use of Martin Luther King Jr。s speeches - via a vinyl recording， no less， - as the medium for Elwood's awakening and development as a righteous young man is particularly effective。 We also travel through history， viewing the obvious and not so obvious ravages of slavery， Jim Crow， and outright hatred towards Black People again through the lens of Elwood， this time as an adult。 Again， the tone is subdued， kindly even， but Whitehead's writing style drives home his truths with searing power。 As with most books that use the terrors of racism as their subject matter - however their manifestation - this was not an enjoyable read。 But facing up to the evils of history， to the evils done by White People against Black people， should not be easy。 White People still have a long， long， long way to go to even begin to right these wrongs。 'The Nickel Boys' is but one tale among many that deserves to be told。 Fictional surely， nonetheless the ugly truths it is built upon are no less factual even so。 。。。more
Rick Lewis
，
Haunting。 Just。。。wow。 I couldn't put it down。 The book is so well structured， tightly written， and traverses time， space， history， and culture so deftly that 200-some pages feels both too shot and inescapably， horrifyingly long。 Haunting。 Just。。。wow。 I couldn't put it down。 The book is so well structured， tightly written， and traverses time， space， history， and culture so deftly that 200-some pages feels both too shot and inescapably， horrifyingly long。 。。。more
Angela
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4。5
Esther Bos
，
I started reading this book knowing that it would be a tough topic。 But after reading the Prologue and Part 1 I stopped reading。 I had already come to care about Elwood， the main character， and could not face the rest of his story。My not reading it does not reflect on the writing skills of the author， but only on my own feeling of trauma when I see all the bodycam and bystander videos of real police officers and their treatment of minority suspects。 The story has become far too timely in recent I started reading this book knowing that it would be a tough topic。 But after reading the Prologue and Part 1 I stopped reading。 I had already come to care about Elwood， the main character， and could not face the rest of his story。My not reading it does not reflect on the writing skills of the author， but only on my own feeling of trauma when I see all the bodycam and bystander videos of real police officers and their treatment of minority suspects。 The story has become far too timely in recent years， as we have seen examples of the mistreatment stories that were ongoing， probably since the world began！ 。。。more
karen
，
fulfilling my 2021 goal to read one ARC each month i'd been so excited to get my hands on and then。。。never read fulfilling my 2021 goal to read one ARC each month i'd been so excited to get my hands on and then。。。never read 。。。more
Dani， Buchige Vielfalt
，
Das muss ich vor der Rezension erstmal verdauen。
Lauren Clarke
，
4 stars。 This was such an amazing read but super difficult。 It’s hard to think about how a place like Nickel could exist but I have no doubt that it did and probably still does。
Kathy Moore
，
4。5 starsAn astonishing book， both beautiful and tragic in its examination of the Jim Crow South and its persistence behind closed doors， particularly when targeting poor Black boys。 I felt that the tone became a little too impersonal at times， but it succeeded in charting the systemic abuse and apathy faced by Elwood and the other Nickel Boys。
Donna Walker
，
This is not an easy read， but it is worth the time， both for Whitehead's compelling writing and to learn about the true story that inspired the book。 The horrors that young men endured at the Nickel Academy are based on the stories of real people， and Whitehead does a wonderful job of bringing to life the main characters and the details of the time and place。 There are embers of hope that flicker up from time to time， but the brutality of the place is all-consuming， and you will feel gut-punched This is not an easy read， but it is worth the time， both for Whitehead's compelling writing and to learn about the true story that inspired the book。 The horrors that young men endured at the Nickel Academy are based on the stories of real people， and Whitehead does a wonderful job of bringing to life the main characters and the details of the time and place。 There are embers of hope that flicker up from time to time， but the brutality of the place is all-consuming， and you will feel gut-punched more than once as you read。 。。。more
Sydney Dietert
，
This was just not what I expected it to be。 I couldn’t follow along with the plot， and didn’t really understand most of what was going on。。。 😬
Heather Reynolds
，
I heartbreakingly “enjoyed” reading the authors take on this non fiction event。 The only problem for me was the time jumping without letting me know when it was。 Maybe that wasn’t important to the story but for me I got confused at times and it took away from losing myself in the story（maybe this was a me problem）。 A new author for me which I can’t wait to read more of his works。 I’ll being doing more research on the school。 I can’t believe how many pieces of history we never learn about。
Bill
，
Flawlessly execution of a story that rides the line between fiction and investigative journalism in tone， if not in substance。 A horrifying story all around， made more so by its simple reality。
JJ Im
，
마지막 두 장을 읽기전에는 숨을 고르고 진정시키느라 반나절을 쉬었다。 이 책 바로 전에 읽은 Edward Jones의 The Know World - 시대와 배경은 다르지만 - 미국 역사 속 흑인 노예의 삶을 이야기하는데， 우연하게 이 책 역시 그러하다。 미처 삶의 가능성을 찾기도 전인 청소년들에게 법과 제도라는 이름으로 행해지는 가혹한 폭력， 특히 흑인 청소년에게 가해진 차별적인 폭력。 The Known World의 독후감을 쓰면서 타인과 극히 짧은 인연이 인생의 행로를 예기치 않은 방향으로 틀어버린다고 생각했는데， 흑인소년 Elwood도 자동차절도범의 차를 얻어 타고가다 공범으로 몰려 The Nickel Academy로 끌려들어가게 된다。 할머니와 함께 살며 Martin Luther King의 연설을 매일처럼 듣고 대학 진학을 목표하던 소년이었는데… 사실 Nickel Academy같은 곳의 이야기는 별로 낯설지 않다。 감옥， 소년원， 정신지체자와 부랑아들을 수용하는 시설들… 지금 마지막 두 장을 읽기전에는 숨을 고르고 진정시키느라 반나절을 쉬었다。 이 책 바로 전에 읽은 Edward Jones의 The Know World - 시대와 배경은 다르지만 - 미국 역사 속 흑인 노예의 삶을 이야기하는데， 우연하게 이 책 역시 그러하다。 미처 삶의 가능성을 찾기도 전인 청소년들에게 법과 제도라는 이름으로 행해지는 가혹한 폭력， 특히 흑인 청소년에게 가해진 차별적인 폭력。 The Known World의 독후감을 쓰면서 타인과 극히 짧은 인연이 인생의 행로를 예기치 않은 방향으로 틀어버린다고 생각했는데， 흑인소년 Elwood도 자동차절도범의 차를 얻어 타고가다 공범으로 몰려 The Nickel Academy로 끌려들어가게 된다。 할머니와 함께 살며 Martin Luther King의 연설을 매일처럼 듣고 대학 진학을 목표하던 소년이었는데… 사실 Nickel Academy같은 곳의 이야기는 별로 낯설지 않다。 감옥， 소년원， 정신지체자와 부랑아들을 수용하는 시설들… 지금이야 그렇지않겠지만 과거에 그러한 시설에서 행해졌을 가혹하고 끔찍한 폭력들은 지레 짐작할 수 있다。 읽는 도중 불현듯 5공화국시절에 있던 "부산형제복지원" 사건이 생각나서 Internet을 뒤져 보기도 했다。Turner가 성인이 된 후 하는 독백은 그러한 제도를 빙자한 폭력이 인간을 어디까지 불구로 만들어 놓는지 알게 하는데， “그 학교가 아이들을 그렇게 만들어 놓았다。 학교를 나와도 벗어날 수 없었다。 거기서 사람을 온갖 방법 으로 구부려놓기 때문에 인생을 삶아갈 수 없게 돼。” “하지만 그들은 평범한 삶이라는 소박한 즐거움조차 누릴 기회가 없었다。 경주가 시작되기도 전에 이미 불구가 되어 절룩거리며， 정상이 되는 방법을 끝내 알아내지 못했다。” “어떤 방법으로 학교를 벗어났든 그들은 항상 도주자 신세였다。” New York Marathon 이야기를 왜 느닷없이 꺼냈을까 궁금했는데， 다 읽고 나서 이해를 하게 되었다。 뒤쳐져서 달리는 사람들을 묘사한 글 가운데 “…뒤에 처져서 절뚝거리는 사람들은 코스를 제대로 달리지 못했지만 자신의 내면을 향해 깊은 곳까지 달려갔다가 거기서 발견한 것을 쥐고 다시 밝은 곳으로 돌아왔다…” 이 문장이 마지막 반전， 흑인 Elwood와 Turner를 모두 쥐고 있다。 Colson Whitehead가 [작가의 말]에서 한 theofficialwhitehouseboys。org에도 가보았다。 신문 scrap에는 과거 Nickel Academy에서 폭력을 행사했던 사람이 증손자를 무릎에 올려놓고 환하게 웃는 사진도 있었다。 인간의 은밀하게 드러나는 감춰진 잔혹함과 폭력성은 그 끝이 어디까지 갈 수 있을까 생각한다， 그 무자비한 폭력을 행사하는 사람도 집으로 돌아가선 선량한 한 사람일 수도 있는데。。。 。。。more
Sedruola
，
A distressing yet beautifully written book。 No word is out of place。
Shelley
，
There are things about this story that lull you into thinking that this is just another white people have been cruel to black people story。 But you keep reading， and you realize that there is no such thing as "just another" story， because each one is ugly in its own unique ugliness。 And sitting with each ugliness teaches us something about how hard we must work to undo the pain and repair the trauma that white supremacy has reeked on our nation。 This story is stunning in its stark telling。 It is There are things about this story that lull you into thinking that this is just another white people have been cruel to black people story。 But you keep reading， and you realize that there is no such thing as "just another" story， because each one is ugly in its own unique ugliness。 And sitting with each ugliness teaches us something about how hard we must work to undo the pain and repair the trauma that white supremacy has reeked on our nation。 This story is stunning in its stark telling。 It is unexpected。 Just when you feel like you know where the tracks are taking the train， it derails。 Stunning。 。。。more
CarolB
，
Get ready for a harrowing time。Whitehead tells the story of Elwood Curtis， a black college-bound teenager in Florida in the 1960s， who gets hauled off to reform school for something he really had no part in。 That's the vehicle for showing the racism， injustice and sick meanness of the system and the white men who were to bring about "attitude changes" in the boys。 Many of those changes worked so well that the boys were never heard from again， boys who died from the beatings and were tucked away Get ready for a harrowing time。Whitehead tells the story of Elwood Curtis， a black college-bound teenager in Florida in the 1960s， who gets hauled off to reform school for something he really had no part in。 That's the vehicle for showing the racism， injustice and sick meanness of the system and the white men who were to bring about "attitude changes" in the boys。 Many of those changes worked so well that the boys were never heard from again， boys who died from the beatings and were tucked away on Boot Hill。 Bones are found decades later by anthropologists。Plot isn't the main agent in this book， it's the boys， their relationships， how they cope， what they learn。 Many are abandoned by their families， but families aren't ever allowed to see what's really going on at Nickel， the name of the "school"。 The story is based on a real school， one of many at that time。 I listened to the audio。 The reader was pretty good at creating characters though his delivery was sometimes stilted。 Still， it's a book to read or listen to， one that brings another layer of our dreadful truth to light。 。。。more
Oisín
，
Good concept， the mystery element is very well executed。 An excess of character sketches and pointless half-plots bloat what really feels like a good short story into a middling novel。
Kimberly
，
A few months ago I visited a former-prison-turned-historical-site。 There were buildings to tour。 Foundations to view。 And lots of lots of things to read about the prisoners’ crimes， riots， fires， deaths， etc。 This book really felt in so many ways that I was back there reading those signs。 Because it didn’t really feel like anything was happening to the main character—he was just there， doing his thing， observing what was going on around him。 Even the third-person narrative mostly keeps the reade A few months ago I visited a former-prison-turned-historical-site。 There were buildings to tour。 Foundations to view。 And lots of lots of things to read about the prisoners’ crimes， riots， fires， deaths， etc。 This book really felt in so many ways that I was back there reading those signs。 Because it didn’t really feel like anything was happening to the main character—he was just there， doing his thing， observing what was going on around him。 Even the third-person narrative mostly keeps the reader at a distance， although occasionally I felt like the narrator was getting all riled up on the main character’s behalf。 I needed to feel the danger and the fear， and I really didn’t。 。。。more
Susan Stein
，
As a previous social worker。。。I wasn't that impressed with the book As a previous social worker。。。I wasn't that impressed with the book 。。。more
Benjamin
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Incredible and devastating。
Anna
，
Totalnie nie mam szczęścia do ostatnio czytanych książek … Poruszany w książce temat jest ważny， ale opisany tak， że przez pół książki głośno ziewałam。
robin friedman
，
Revisiting Colson WhiteheadIn 2019， I was highly disappointed by Colson Whitehead's novel， "John Henry Days" （2002）。 I felt the novel was overly ambitious， confusingly written， and constituted a sort of Great American Novel written in reverse with its breadth and unremittingly negative， satirical portrayal of the United States and its history。 Still， with the acclaim Whitehead has enjoyed， I thought I needed to try again。 I read and was greatly moved by "The Nickel Boys"， for which Whitehead rec Revisiting Colson WhiteheadIn 2019， I was highly disappointed by Colson Whitehead's novel， "John Henry Days" （2002）。 I felt the novel was overly ambitious， confusingly written， and constituted a sort of Great American Novel written in reverse with its breadth and unremittingly negative， satirical portrayal of the United States and its history。 Still， with the acclaim Whitehead has enjoyed， I thought I needed to try again。 I read and was greatly moved by "The Nickel Boys"， for which Whitehead received his second Pulitzer Prize in 2020。Whitehead's novel is set largely in the Florida of the early 1960s and in New York City beginning in the late 1960s。 The main character， Elwood Curtis， is being raised by his grandmother in the segregated Frenchtown section of Tallahassee after being abandoned by his parents。 Elwood is an ambitious student and hard worker who has a job with a white person who owns a cigar and candy store。 Elwood is taken with the words and thoughts of Martin Luther King， Jr。 When he has the opportunity to attend classes at a local college during high school， he hitches a ride in what proves to be a stolen car and is unjustly sent to a reform school not far from Tallahassee known as the Nickel Academy。 The book becomes a story of the hellacious treatment doled out to the young boys at Nickel。 Black student and white students live in segregated camps。 Neither group is well treated， but the black students fare a great deal worse。Whitehead shows a pattern of abuse that persisted for over 100 years including beatings， solitary confinement， sexual abuse， incompetence， and widespread theft and administrative corruption。 Many of the boys die。 Elmore makes friends with another black inmate， Turner who with his street wise cynicism is a foil to Elmore and the idealism he derives from Martin Luther King。 The friendship between the two takes a surprising turn when the Nickel Academy is investigated at last by the State of Florida and the extent of its abuses becomes known， due in part to actions of Elmore and Turner。The story develops slowly and convincingly。 The early sections offer a portrayal of Frenchtown life before pivoting to the shocking story of the Nickel Academy。 In the portions of the book at Nickel， Whitehead writes sparely， with frequent use of indirection and understatement。 The writing is both clear and elusive。 It needs to be read carefully。 A cumulative sense of Nickel and its barbarity develops slowly to increase the reader's feel for the place。 The writing also shows an effective and particular sense of place in some of the latter scenes which are set in New York City as it faces bankruptcy， extended crime， and social unrest。Although "The Nickel Boys" is a work of fiction， it is based on an actual school， the Dozier School for Boys which was investigated and closed by the State of Florida for abuses similar to those Whitehead described in his novel。 Details about the school are accessible online。 They enhance but are not necessary to appreciate Whitehead's novel。The broad themes of this book in terms of racial injustice come through the focus on particular places and people。 I was particularly moved by the way Whitehead weaved into the book the words and teachings of King， with its idealism， focus on human dignity and on the sort of love known as agape。 The discussions of King's thought was entirely apt to the story and enhanced its themes。 The book was moving and succeeded through working out from its specifics。I thought again of the book by Whitehead that I had disliked， "John Henry Days"。 With its careful， understated writing， clearly developed themes and characters， and focus， I thought that "Nickel Boys" did everything beautifully and successfully that the earlier book had done poorly。 I had some gratification in feeling that I didn't need to question my responses to either book。"The Nickel Boys" is a probing， disturbing and challenging story that provokes thought and emotional response。 The book deserves the praise and discussion it continues to receive。 I was glad to have the opportunity to read and to discuss the book。Robin Friedman 。。。more
Ally
，
3。5 starsRtc
Joe Stephens
，
While on one hand I absolutely loved this book， I hated it on the other。 I loved Elwood。 I wanted him to get away。 I wanted him to be unscathed by the injustices inflicted upon him。 I loved the epic， beautiful， poetic writing of Colson Whitehead。But I hated how it reminded me that people suck so much of the time。 And a large portion of that sucking is done by people of my race。 Yes， I do believe we've grown as a country and are honestly working hard to achieve racial harmony。 But why did we have While on one hand I absolutely loved this book， I hated it on the other。 I loved Elwood。 I wanted him to get away。 I wanted him to be unscathed by the injustices inflicted upon him。 I loved the epic， beautiful， poetic writing of Colson Whitehead。But I hated how it reminded me that people suck so much of the time。 And a large portion of that sucking is done by people of my race。 Yes， I do believe we've grown as a country and are honestly working hard to achieve racial harmony。 But why did we have so far to go in the first place？ Why have so many white people over the centuries been so heartless， hateful， and inhumane to the point of being inhuman？ At any rate， everyone needs to read this book。 Everyone。 。。。more
Christy Texeira
，
There is harm in hiding the painful parts of our past。 This is one of many stories of injustice that needs to be told。 Through unveiling atrocities， we give ourselves the opportunity to be diligent in the fight to not allow history to repeat itself。 The sadness of this book is worth the gain of awareness。
Melissa Moreno
，
A story of a boys' reformatory school in Jim Crow Florida where black boys were subjected to terrible abuse。 Difficult to hear but beautifully written。 A story of a boys' reformatory school in Jim Crow Florida where black boys were subjected to terrible abuse。 Difficult to hear but beautifully written。 。。。more
Debbie Hemmeter
，
I love stuff by Colson Whitehead。 This was a tragic story with a surprise ending。 Loved the characters and the plot。
Lia Preyde
，
It feels weird to say I loved this book， but I thought it was an excellent and important read - not just for continuing my historical education， but also to unpack and probe at my own privilege （ie。 I have never once wondered whether a restaurant hostess ignoring me was on account of my race， never mind engaged in “another round of Racism or Bad Service？”）。 Elwood’s calling to fight hate with love and his struggle to reconcile that with “the lessons of the world” was very powerful。 The writing i It feels weird to say I loved this book， but I thought it was an excellent and important read - not just for continuing my historical education， but also to unpack and probe at my own privilege （ie。 I have never once wondered whether a restaurant hostess ignoring me was on account of my race， never mind engaged in “another round of Racism or Bad Service？”）。 Elwood’s calling to fight hate with love and his struggle to reconcile that with “the lessons of the world” was very powerful。 The writing in general packed a punch， with paragraphs I just wanted to dive into。 Both the narrative twist and the fact that I was already at the epilogue legitimately took me by surprise。 。。。more
Giulia Crisostomo
，
3。5
Saryah
，
I will be thinking about this for some time
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Nickel Boys
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Nickel Boys&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Nickel Boys&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0