The Nickel Boys
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- Create Date：2021-06-24 09:55:04
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Colson Whitehead
- ISBN：0708899420
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Summary
Winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction。
As the Civil Rights movement begins to reach the black enclave of Frenchtown in segregated Tallahassee， Elwood Curtis takes the words of Dr。 Martin Luther King to heart: He is “as good as anyone。” Abandoned by his parents， but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother， Elwood is a high school senior about to start classes at a local college。 But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South of the early 1960s， one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future。 Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy， whose mission statement says it provides “physical， intellectual and moral training” so the delinquent boys in their charge can become “honorable and honest men。”
In reality， the Nickel Academy is a grotesque chamber of horrors。 Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment， Elwood tries to hold onto Dr。 King’s ringing assertion “Throw us in jail and we will still love you。” His friend Turner thinks Elwood is worse than naive， that the world is crooked， and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble。
The tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision with repercussions that will echo down the decades。 Formed in the crucible of the evils Jim Crow wrought， the boys’ fates will be determined by what they endured at the Nickel Academy。
The book is based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped the lives of thousands of children。
As the Civil Rights movement begins to reach the black enclave of Frenchtown in segregated Tallahassee， Elwood Curtis takes the words of Dr。 Martin Luther King to heart: He is “as good as anyone。” Abandoned by his parents， but kept on the straight and narrow by his grandmother， Elwood is a high school senior about to start classes at a local college。 But for a black boy in the Jim Crow South of the early 1960s， one innocent mistake is enough to destroy the future。 Elwood is sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy， whose mission statement says it provides “physical， intellectual and moral training” so the delinquent boys in their charge can become “honorable and honest men。”
In reality， the Nickel Academy is a grotesque chamber of horrors。 Stunned to find himself in such a vicious environment， Elwood tries to hold onto Dr。 King’s ringing assertion “Throw us in jail and we will still love you。” His friend Turner thinks Elwood is worse than naive， that the world is crooked， and that the only way to survive is to scheme and avoid trouble。
The tension between Elwood’s ideals and Turner’s skepticism leads to a decision with repercussions that will echo down the decades。 Formed in the crucible of the evils Jim Crow wrought， the boys’ fates will be determined by what they endured at the Nickel Academy。
The book is based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for one hundred and eleven years and warped the lives of thousands of children。
Reviews
Aditi
，
Heartbreaking and horrifying but not surprising at all。 The ending was so powerful and the last page was so bittersweet I was overcome with emotion when I finished it。 I think every American should read this book， it is so important。
Snigdha
，
A sensitive telling of a young boy of color。 The harsh realities of a world that we are mercifully unaware of （almost）。 The book is gripping and makes you care for each of the Nickel Boys。 This is the first Colson book I read， and I do wish to read more from him。 The writing style is very unassuming and in spite of the story flitting between several time periods， not for a moment did I feel lost。 Spellbound by the storytelling
Kenny Kidd
，
Dang this is rough。 Incredibly impactful for its relatively short length， I think this novel is， at its core， about how ideals of goodness， virtue， and individual decisions to do well are frequently inadequate in overcoming systemic oppression; it’s heartbreaking， cynical stuff， and righteously angry。 Definitely deserving of its Pulitzer。
Janine Duff
，
This story of a "reform school" （or let's call it what it was: a prison） in Jim Crow-era Florida and the abuse and atrocities that took place there is one that needs to be told。 Still， it was a bit of a struggle for me to get through。 This is my first Colson Whitehead book。 And by the middle， I fell into quite a reading slump， partly because I felt like the writing lacked emotion。 It was a little one-note for me。My favourite part of this story was the friendship between Elwood and Turner， and th This story of a "reform school" （or let's call it what it was: a prison） in Jim Crow-era Florida and the abuse and atrocities that took place there is one that needs to be told。 Still， it was a bit of a struggle for me to get through。 This is my first Colson Whitehead book。 And by the middle， I fell into quite a reading slump， partly because I felt like the writing lacked emotion。 It was a little one-note for me。My favourite part of this story was the friendship between Elwood and Turner， and the juxtaposition of their characters。 Elwood has an idealistic outlook inspired by his interest in Martin Luther King Jr。 and the Civil Rights Movement while Turner is a much more skeptical and realist individual who isn't holding out hope for change。 The Nickel boys epitomize the remarkable resilience of the human spirit and how the capacity to endure suffering is in itself an act of resistance。 Yet in the end， we're meant to question if love can truly drive out hate when systemic oppression is woven into the very fabric of society， creating seemingly insurmountable barriers to freedom， equality， and justice。 The twist near the end was compelling， too。 I just wish the author's voice matched the emotion of the story being told。 。。。more
Diane Thayer
，
Yes。 It's THAT good！ Yes。 It's THAT good！ 。。。more
Chelsea
，
Beautifully written story about a horrible real-life institution。 I lived in Tallahassee for 10 years before it was shit down; the close proximity of the book makes it even more eye-opening。
Joke
，
Een hard boek， over de jeugd van een jongen in de periode van na de slavernij， waarin zwarten openlijke onderdrukt werden door blanken。 De periode van "I had a dream"。。。 hoop en teleurstelling， en veel， veel geweld。 Een volwassen， oudere man kijkt terug op zijn jeugd， en in het bijzonder op het leven in een gesloten strafinstelling en een vriendschap die hij daar sloot。 Geen leuk boek om te lezen。 Maar wel een goed boek。 Een hard boek， over de jeugd van een jongen in de periode van na de slavernij， waarin zwarten openlijke onderdrukt werden door blanken。 De periode van "I had a dream"。。。 hoop en teleurstelling， en veel， veel geweld。 Een volwassen， oudere man kijkt terug op zijn jeugd， en in het bijzonder op het leven in een gesloten strafinstelling en een vriendschap die hij daar sloot。 Geen leuk boek om te lezen。 Maar wel een goed boek。 。。。more
Ashleigh Hoare
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 • historical fiction - inspired by the true events that took place at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna Florida which came to public attention when archeology students from a nearby university uncovered the grave sites of students who were beaten to death while in State care• this book is set in 1960s Florida when racial segregation was practiced and Dr Martin Luther King and a community of strong and fearless African Americans were protesting and fighting the racial divide in America • the • historical fiction - inspired by the true events that took place at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna Florida which came to public attention when archeology students from a nearby university uncovered the grave sites of students who were beaten to death while in State care• this book is set in 1960s Florida when racial segregation was practiced and Dr Martin Luther King and a community of strong and fearless African Americans were protesting and fighting the racial divide in America • the main character is a idealistic kid， Elwood who lives with his grandmother and excells at school and his part time job• Elwood gets accepted into university and decides to hitchhike to campus。 Unfortunately for him， the car that picks him up is stolen and he ends up being sentenced to a period of reform in Nickel - a school for boys • Nickel too is racially segregated， but doesn't discriminate between ethnicities when it comes to the egregious corruption， violence and sexual， psychological and emotional abuse the staff inflict on their charges • this story is beautifully told， while the violence is an undercurrent， it isn't gratuitous。 Filled with beautiful and grotesque characters who drive the heart of the story the whole way through This book has a few surprises in store and highlights the tragic lessons from our past we still haven't learnt from。 。。。more
Alex
，
I wanted to love this book。 I truly did。 The two stars doesn’t relate to the story that was told but more the writing style。 He writes in such a detached way without emotion。 I didn’t care about any of the characters。 I wanted more detail and character development。 I found myself halfway through the book and didn’t care about any characters and didn’t even know what was going on。 This had a lot of potential as the story was an important one， but I overall did not like or appreciate the way it wa I wanted to love this book。 I truly did。 The two stars doesn’t relate to the story that was told but more the writing style。 He writes in such a detached way without emotion。 I didn’t care about any of the characters。 I wanted more detail and character development。 I found myself halfway through the book and didn’t care about any characters and didn’t even know what was going on。 This had a lot of potential as the story was an important one， but I overall did not like or appreciate the way it was told。 Unfortunately I’m gonna have to pass on his other books。 。。。more
Sujata Neidig
，
Listened to the audio book on a long drive to/from Colorado。 I think I'm going to have to read it as well at some point just because there were times that I wasn't able to really pay attention。 Plus， we listened to approximately half the book on the way there and then the other half on the way back a week later。 It's a historical fiction book in the sense that the reform school and the evil it was that's the center of the story was real， but the main characters are not。 With that being said， Col Listened to the audio book on a long drive to/from Colorado。 I think I'm going to have to read it as well at some point just because there were times that I wasn't able to really pay attention。 Plus， we listened to approximately half the book on the way there and then the other half on the way back a week later。 It's a historical fiction book in the sense that the reform school and the evil it was that's the center of the story was real， but the main characters are not。 With that being said， Colson did an incredible amount of research about the real-life events and was able to convey more depth about the characters instead of focusing only on the hellish acts committed by those in charge at this supposed reform school。 The ending also has a surprising twist to it which I wasn't expecting at all。 。。。more
Dale Rosenberg
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A beautiful， heart-breaking， vivid window into horrific treatment of boys in a Florida Reform School， with an emphasis on the way systemic racism intensified corruption and abuse。 Based on the Dozier School， where boys were beaten， tortured， raped and murdered for close to 100 years （and black inmate boys three times as likely to be murdered as the white ones）， Whitehead's Nickel School is a horrific place to be sent to。 He tells the story of the school in the 1960s through the eyes of two inmat A beautiful， heart-breaking， vivid window into horrific treatment of boys in a Florida Reform School， with an emphasis on the way systemic racism intensified corruption and abuse。 Based on the Dozier School， where boys were beaten， tortured， raped and murdered for close to 100 years （and black inmate boys three times as likely to be murdered as the white ones）， Whitehead's Nickel School is a horrific place to be sent to。 He tells the story of the school in the 1960s through the eyes of two inmates: Elwood and Turner。 Elwood is a hard-working， smart high school student and a fan of MLK。 He thinks the country is making progress and expects that someday - even in Florida - black people will be full citizens with equal rights to whites。 He is going to be taking college courses at a local black college while still in high school and is beside himself with joy at the prospect。 Then he hitchhikes to get to the college because his bicycle is broken and the guy who picks him up has stolen the car he's driving。 So Elwood gets sentenced to Nickel for car theft， where he befriends Turner， who is a true juvenile delinquent。Elwood is shocked by the injustice of Nickel， while Turner is just focused on going along to getting along。 The boys in the school are basically slaves - they work in the fields at the school and then are sent out to do handyman work for wealthy residents of the nearby town， who pay the guards and management of the school。 Some of the boys are repeatedly raped; for others even minor infractions lead to beatings bad enough to end up in the hospital。 Those the administration really have it in for are tortured to death - literally crucified - and buried in a secret graveyard。 The money the state gives the school doesn't go to caring for the boys - they have substandard food， cast off clothing， no actual schooling。 Instead it lines the pockets of the men who absue them。 What to do about all this is a subject of frequent discussion between Elwood and Turner， each a stand in for aspects of the author's personality， but also representative of two different ways of dealing with systemic injustice。 Can progress be made？ At one point Turner says， "You can change the law but you can't change how people are。"It's a pretty bleak book in a lot of ways。 Maybe if it had been written a few years earlier it would have been more hopeful - hard to say。 Beautifully written it is definitely worth the pain of reading it， but it is a painful read。 。。。more
Lili Kim
，
A must-read， and I loved the conflicting views from both Turner and Elwood， which also flow together。 It’s how I’m sure many of us feel。Notable lines:“ 。 。 。 and in the face of all those things， the big ones and the smaller ones， you have to stand up straight and maintain your sense of who you are。”“How to get through the day if every indignity capsized you in a ditch？ One learned to focus one’s attention。”“If he wanted things to change， what else was there to do but stand up？”
Alethiavitale
，
A little hard to follow but the ending had me questioning everything I had just read。 Such a heartbreaking story， made even more tragic as it had been based off similar events。
Carola
，
I almost didn't put this on my To Read list， because I had been underwhelmed by Whitehead's other celebrated novel， Underground Railroad。 I much prefer this book。 There were many spots where I think I would have gotten more out of it had I read it with a book club。 I almost didn't put this on my To Read list， because I had been underwhelmed by Whitehead's other celebrated novel， Underground Railroad。 I much prefer this book。 There were many spots where I think I would have gotten more out of it had I read it with a book club。 。。。more
Kristy
，
This was a really eye opening story of a terrible reform school。 It hurts my heart to think of this place （or heaven forbid any other like it） ever being open and running。 It is amazing to me to think of how many， many people knew about it the school but had no idea of what was really taking place。 It makes me wonder if people want to be blissfully ignorant about things or if it just happens。
Chandra
，
2021 Reading Challenge Week 21: A Pulitzer Prize WinnerThis is well-researched fiction that reflects the experiences of black boys real-life Dozier School in the 1960s。 It's a grim tale， but it's one that is well told and worth reading。 *Note: The audio version is very well done！ 2021 Reading Challenge Week 21: A Pulitzer Prize WinnerThis is well-researched fiction that reflects the experiences of black boys real-life Dozier School in the 1960s。 It's a grim tale， but it's one that is well told and worth reading。 *Note: The audio version is very well done！ 。。。more
june3
，
Superb。
Harriet Squier
，
Wow！ A must readIncredibly well written， researched， and utterly humane in its intent。 Your skin will crawl with fear as your heart swells for these young men。 A nuanced portrait of a horrible past told with love。
Zloi
，
Apart from the somewhat grisly subject matter， the author's skillful writing technique makes this an easy and enjoyable read。 Also， as a white reader whose diet of fiction throughout life has centered on books told almost exclusively from a white viewpoint， seeing the world through an African-American perspective was very elucidating。 Apart from the somewhat grisly subject matter， the author's skillful writing technique makes this an easy and enjoyable read。 Also， as a white reader whose diet of fiction throughout life has centered on books told almost exclusively from a white viewpoint， seeing the world through an African-American perspective was very elucidating。 。。。more
Michael
，
Extremely overrated。 The prose was laborious， the plot seemed too familiar， feels like I’ve watched a dozen documentaries on reform schools like this。 It felt very unoriginal。 The characters were only props to tell a story about injustice， I was hoping there was a story about people in there as well， but there was no story about people。
J。 Brendan
，
A tightly coiled book about two Black boys in the 1960s who end up at a cruel and violent reform school。 Framed around the discovery of bodies on the land in the present day， Nickel Boys unfolds the story of Elwood， a smart and politically engaged teen who ends up at the reform school through a miscarriage of justice and must figure out how to survive。 The novel shows the continuing wounds of these traumas in the present day。 Whitehead is very controlled in his prose and yet quite affecting。
Kirsty
，
Important and impactful story。 The writing style was hard to follow。
Jill Dye
，
My husband and I listened to this audiobook on our road trip。 It is a must read。 I have driven past this jail 1000 times in my life and had no idea what kind of things were going on there。
Lisa
，
This book focused mainly on a reform school for boys in the 60s。 I liked that the book focused a lot on the type of racism experienced at that time。 I can’t believe it was based on a real institution—that makes me sad。 Good but sad/hard read with a decent twist at some point in the story。 CW: Child abuse （physical and sexual）， child murder。 4/5
Sherry Callear
，
Some of the finest writing I have ever read。 Colson Whitehead weaves a tale of an upstanding young man wrongly accused and sentenced to a reform school for boys in Florida。 Horrors ensue。 Enjoyed the perspectives of different eras in the characters’ lives。 Satisfying ending。 Definitely checking out this author’s other titles。 Highly recommend！
Megan
，
I absolutely could not believe this book or the content。 Why am I so ignorant？ How did I not know。 After reading a few books this year on white supremacy and on Jim Crowe laws， I have been frustrated by what is happening but the situation is not improving。A fellow teacher friend randomly handed me this book and said I should enjoy it while at the beach。 While I did not enjoy the continent， I could not put down the book。 Elwood is it an example and an inspiration。 and Turner，- what a friend！ Wow！ I absolutely could not believe this book or the content。 Why am I so ignorant？ How did I not know。 After reading a few books this year on white supremacy and on Jim Crowe laws， I have been frustrated by what is happening but the situation is not improving。A fellow teacher friend randomly handed me this book and said I should enjoy it while at the beach。 While I did not enjoy the continent， I could not put down the book。 Elwood is it an example and an inspiration。 and Turner，- what a friend！ Wow！ I don’t want to give anything away， but the people who ran nickel should be punished。 There should be reparations。 Every bit of it is wrong。 。。。more
Daniel Dahlman
，
3。5
Rachel Jones
，
Was 3* until the final chapter…wow。 A horrible story told incredibly well
Heather Henderson
，
Beautifully written， devistating story。 May write a longer review later。
Melissa Riley
，
Love this bookCouldn’t put it down - I know it is fiction， but I have no doubt a place like Nickel existed。 Intense read。
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