2.5 stars

The Nickel Boys, a story about the horrors of a reformatory school for boys during the Jim Crows years, was my first-time reading Colson Whitehead. I wanted to love this book but, unfortunately, I found it difficult to commit to the words.

This below-average rating isn’t for the writing. No, Whitehead’s prose is wonderful. It’s structure, pacing, are all exceptional. Yet, I was left wanting more. Lots of what was being told seemed irrelevant, exposition upon exposition of new characters and ideas. I understand that through the narration, Whitehead is digging deeper into the harsh reality of 1960s America. However, the story felt lifeless and at times, superficial.

Moreover, the distant narration made it difficult to sympathise with Elwood. He’s an innocent bystander, from beginning to end. I appreciate his attempts to follow the teaching of Martin Luther King Jr.,: to love his oppressors, to maintain his sense of who he is. However, I wanted to feel his emotions, see how he reacted to the horrific events, but he lacked the complexity I crave in a protagonist. I found fell Nickel boy Turner much more intriguing, but overall, I was unaffected by the characters.

The fact that the story is inspired by true events angers me and I applaud Whitehead’s endeavour to tell this tragic piece of black history. However, something was missing. Something that would have tortured me, transported me and touched me.

The novel was an incredible read and I finished it fast. Beautifully written, rich in detail and with sentences that don’t sound presumptuous. I felt like I’ve educated myself to some extent. The story and the details were extraordinary, gripping and relevant to events taking place these days. I personally really enjoy reading fiction based on real life events. It brings the story more to life, something you can connect with and feel the characters come alive. And Colson Whitehead does this masterfully, while still managing to enlighten the reader about the past. A fairly short book that truly packs a punch. 

Full review on my blog: https://boundlesspages.home.blog/2019/08/27/review-the-nickel-boys-by-colson-whitehead/

The Nickel Boys is a worthy novel to follow Colson Whitehead's debut Underground Railroad. Whitehead delves into the dark, murky underbelly of the Dozier School for Boys in Florida, the first juvenile detention of its kind in the state, where mass graves were found. Hence, no doubt, it's an unsettling read from page one. In this haunting novel, the author is frank about the barbarity his characters endure, even though most of it happens offstage. Using the African American experience, Whitehead shines a light on the horrors of the failed incarceration experiment.

Even in a world of brutal black-and-white views of crime and punishment, his writing forces readers to deal with the ordinariness of most of the characters.

The Nickel Boys is a powerful and moving story that will stay with you long after you finish the book. Characters are well defined, descriptions of the abuse and racism are brutal and heartbreaking. Superb writing! Highly recommended.

Special thanks to Little Brown Book Group, the author and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An intense and heartbreaking story about injustice and the lingering effects of trauma.

The novel centres on two young black men in Jim Crow-era America: Elwood, who is bright and politically engaged, and Turner, neither of whom grew up with present parents.

The book's events are fiction, but loosely based on a historical boys’ reform school in Florida, the Arthur G Dozier School for Boys, where heinous abuse, mistreatment and even murder was pervasive and systematically swept under the rug for decades. There was a White House there (as in the novel), where boys would be taken at night to be beaten.

The novel is a moving tale of friendship, morality, and retaining a sense of dignity when others do not afford it to you.

One of my best reads of the year so far.

Intensely moving story of life in an outwardly respectable young offenders’ correction facility.

We become involved in the path of one young man, Elwood, in particular, who is erroneously placed into the facility just as he is about to take up a scholarship he has worked so hard for.

Life is heartbreakingly hard for inmates and Elwood learns to toe the line or suffer violent consequences.

The inhumane injustices of the brutal system rooted in prejudice and violence were hard to read and the desperation of the boys’ survival was really moving.

I found myself really caring about what happened to Elwood.

Magnificent writing, which drew me right into the story.

Many thanks to the publishers for an ARC of this outstanding book.

Colon Whitehead delves into the Norris history of Florida's juvenile prison system and weaves facts in with fiction in this harrowing, illuminating novel His protagonist , a smart , well spoken and industrious black teenager seems headed for a brighter future than most of his friends; surrounded by a loving family and mentors who want him to succeed, nothing can stand in his way, except one decision that upends all his plans. Hitchhiking home after work, he accepts a ride from a white man who's driving a stolen car, and within a few days he's tried, convicted, and sent to the reform school of the title. Punished harshly for coming to the aid of a younger boy being molested by bullies lands him in solitary, but not before a vicious beating whose scars, on his body and in his soul, will never disappear but it's the corruption of the system that he witnesses at every turn and the certain death once his attempt to go public with it ultimately propels him to his fate. Redemption of a sort comes from the friends with whom he makes his try for freedom, in a stunning denouement that touches the reader and drives this extraordinary novel too its conclusion.

I thought 'The Underground Railroad' was an incredible achievement. 'The Nickel Boys' is a worthy successor. Colson Whitehead is such a great writer, bringing surprising detail and emotion to every scene, some of which are unsparing in their brutality. He is also constantly ready to surprise the reader with imaginative shifts and reframings of tropes we think we know inside out. The thing that shines through is his humanity and belief in the power of people to transcend evil in whatever way is available to them. This is the best book I've read this year. I loved it.

I thank NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for providing me an ARC copy of this book, which I freely chose to review.
In brief, this is an extraordinary book. Beautifully written, haunting, it vividly portrays and era and a place (the early 1960s in Florida), and illustrates the very best and the very worst of human beings and their behaviour. Although everybody should know about the true story this book is inspired by, my only hesitation in recommending this book to all is that it is a tough read, and one that could upset people who have experienced abuse or violence or prefer not to read graphic accounts of those topics. (It is not extreme, in any way, in its depiction of violence and abuse, and much is left to the imagination of the reader rather than being unnecessarily and openly graphic, but then, my level of tolerance is quite high, so it might not be an indication of other readers’ opinion. On the other hand, it is emotionally harrowing, as it should be).
I had not read any of Whitehead’s books before but had heard and read many comments about his recent success with The Underground Railroad, and was keen to see what he would write next. Although I can’t compare the two, based on how much I have enjoyed this story and the style of writing, I am eager to catch up on the author’s previous novels.
I went into this book not having read reviews or detailed comments about it, other than the short description on NetGalley, and I was quickly drawn into the story. After the brief prologue, that sets up the scene and introduces what will become the main setting (and a protagonist in its own right) of the story, The Nickel Academy (previously, The Florida Industrial School for Boys, created in 1899, a reform school in serious need of reforms), we get to meet the two protagonists, first Elwood Curtis, an upstanding boy, determined to make his grandmother proud, a firm believer in Martin Luther King’s philosophy and speeches, a hard student and worker, and later Jack Turner, a boy with a more difficult background whom we meet during his second stay at Nickel. The interaction between the boys, the differences between them, the unlikely friendship that develops, and the ways their lives influence each other, not always evident as we read it, form the backbone of this novel, whose action is set mostly in a momentous era, the 1960s, and with the background of the Civil Rights Movement at its heart. Elwood’s determination to follow King’s dictates is sorely put to the test at Nickel, but he does learn much about himself and about the world there, including some things that should never happen to anybody, no matter their age or colour. Turner, a survivor who has been exposed to a much harsher reality than Elwood from the beginning, learns a new set of values and much more.
As I mentioned above, the story, narrated in the third person but mostly from the point of view of the two main characters (the novel is divided into different parts, and it is clearly indicated which point of view we are sharing), is beautifully written. It lyrically captures the nuances of the period and the place, using a richly descriptive style of writing that makes us feel as if we were there, experiencing the oppressive heat, the excitement of being a young boy going in his first adventure, the thrill of joining a heartfelt protest, the fear of Nickel, the dashed hopes… And later, we also touch base with the main character’s life at different points after Nickel, including the present, when he hears about the unearthing of the story, and we realise that, for him, it’s never gone away; it’s never become the past. The author intersperses the words of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches, of James Baldwin’s stories, and, as he explains in the Acknowledgements’ section at the end, he also quotes from real life accounts from survivors of the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, whose story inspired the setting and much of the story this book narrates. Although I didn’t know the story was based on a real place, I kept wondering about it as I read —it felt true, for sure—, and I was not surprised when my suspicions were unfortunately confirmed at the end. (The author provides plenty of links and information about the real story of Dozier and also includes a bibliography of the other sources he has used, which will prove invaluable to researchers and readers eager to find out more). The author’s use of quotes adds to the true feel of the novel while establishing a clear connection between this story and the troubled history of race (and to a slightly lesser extent class) relations in the USA. Although based on a real reform school, Nickel is a microcosm, a metaphor for the abuse and corruption that has marred not only the United States but many other countries, and a reminder that we must remain vigilant, as some things and behaviours refuse to remain buried and keep rearing their ugly heads in more ways than one. I, for one, will not hear talk about the White House and not think about quite a different place from now on.
The characters are compelling, easy to empathise with, and one can’t help but root for these young men who find themselves in impossible circumstances. Some are complicit in the abuse, some mere victims, but most are just trying to survive. As for the perpetrators… There’s no attempt at explaining why or how it happened. This is not their story. Their story has been the official History for far too long.
Apart from all I’ve said, there’s quite a twist towards the end of the story, which casts a new light on some of the events and on the relationship between the two boys, clarifying some questions that are left answered as the story progresses. This is not a mystery or a thriller as such, but the twist introduces an element of surprise that, at least for me, increased the power of the narrative and the overall effect of the story. The compelling plot of the novel is perfectly matched by the masterly way it is told.
I highlighted a lot of passages from the novel, but I thought I’d share the opening, and another paragraph from the preamble, to give you a taster. (As I mentioned, mine is an ARC copy, so there might be some changes to the final published version).
Even in death the boys were trouble. (A fantastic opening line that will become one of my favourites from now on).
When they found the secret graveyard, he knew he’d have to return. The clutch of cedars over the TV reporter’s shoulder brought back the heat on his skin, the screech of the dry flies. It wasn’t far off at all. Never will be.
A great novel, inspiring, appalling, tough, lyrical, fitting homage to the victims of a corrupt, merciless, and racist institution, and an indictment of the society that allowed it to exist. Highly recommended, with the only reservations mentioned above about the subject matter.

I have never read anything my Colson Whitehead before and I feel although I have been missing out.
Based on true events the story follows Ellwood, who’s life was full of promise until an incident on his first day of college landed him into a reform school for boys.
This was hurtful, poignant and inspirational. Starting and finishing reading over a day, I couldn’t put it down.
The setting was incredibly well described as well as the characters seeming startling real, which I suppose they were. This was an incredible 5 star read.

In 'The Nickel Boys', Colson Whitehead has shone a light on an ugly pimple in American history. Whitehead tells the story of the fictionalised Nickel School which stands as a surrogate for the real institution of The Dozier School for boys in Florida. The book opens in modern day America with the discovery of bodies in an unmarked grave. The novel tells the story of the Nickel school in two different time periods through Elwood the man in the present time line and teenage Elwood back in the civil rights era.

He is sent to The Nickel School, a reform school for boys where horrific things happen to kids who have been imprisoned for minor crimes, racist laws and just being a ward of the state. It is the words of Martin Luther King and the friendship Elwood develops with another boy named Turner that give him hope through his time in incarceration.

Colson Whitehead illustrates the horror these boys have suffered in this institution that was policed by cruel men with brutal honesty. The boys had terrible violence inflicted on them if they failed to bow down to these power drunk racists and the wounds the monsters left were worse for those with black skin.

I read this book with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat. I had never read any of Colson Whitehead's work before and am truly left in awe.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very powerful and moving book. Heart breaking and thought provoking. It deals with many harrowing topics, that one would like to think are confined to the past but unfortunately seem all too familiar. Hopefully from reading this we will collectively stop repeating the ills of history and recognise just how long trauma last and devastating long term effect it can have.

Well done to Mr Whitehead for bringing this story to the forefront.

The authors first book was the award winning Underground Railroad, this is his second book and it feels a tighter, more focused, smaller story - but it remains with you long after you finished the last page.

The story centres on two black kids who meet in a reform school in Florida in the 60's. One is idealistic, listening to the words of Martin Luther King, the other is trying to get by and keeping his head down.

While the authors first book blurred historical fiction with fantasy, The Nickel Kids is a very real, sometimes painful story of racism and sadism.

If you've seen Sleepers you can imagine the storyline - but a couple of twists will keep you hooked to the end.

Well written, insightful and concise - highly recommended.

After reading The Underground Railroad I knew I wanted to read Colson Whitehead's next book. There were two reasons for this: 1) I had been fascinated by the concept of the underground railroad, which made the book riveting, and 2) I hadn't quite taken to Whitehead's writing style and I'd not connected with the book in the same way as others. So many loved that book and Whitehead that I wanted another shot at joining the party!

Reading the description of The Nickel Boys made it stand out in its own right: a fictional story set in Florida based on true accounts of harrowing abuse and cruelty that took place at the many reform schools that existed across the US in the Jim Crow era. I've had a week to collect my thoughts and then comparing with other reviews and sadly, I had a similar experience with The Nickel Boys: I struggled to connect with some of the characters and to fully feel their experiences. There were jumps in time that didn't seem to be signposted to me, which didn't help with following events. It felt overall like there was a puzzle piece missing that I was desperately trying to grab hold of without being able to get any purchase. Perhaps I am not adept at picking up on subliminal elements or perhaps, the failure to fully grasp this piece is down to my own white privilege in and of itself, which I hope isn't the case.

All of that said, I knew nothing about reform schools and so this book taught me a lot about them, something I wish I didn't have to learn but is important to acknowledge and not bury. As such, books like these, retellings of true events including with a fictional element, are incredibly important and I concur with another review I read: "Colson Whitehead is an important literary voice", one which I will continue to read. If you enjoyed The Underground Railroad, I suspect you would also enjoy this.

A remarkable book – heart-breaking, important, powerful and quite unforgettable. There are countless reviews out there, most of which reflect my own opinions, so I’m not going to add much here to the discussion, but this is definitely one of my books of 2019. It takes as its starting point the discovery of a number of unmarked graves on the site of the Dozier School for Boys in Florida, and in a short but devastating novel tells the story of Elwood, a young black boy being brought up by his grandmother and whose aspirations for a better life are destroyed when he is sent to a reformatory, The Nickel Academy, simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a masterful piece of storytelling and Elwood is a remarkable character. The writing is spare and restrained and all the more powerful for that. The depiction of violence is shocking and unsparing, as is that of the casual entrenched racism. It’s all too easy to call a book a “modern classic” but this one, I feel, really is.

Thanks to Net Galley and Little Brown Book Group UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
This story is about a reform school for boys, The Nickel Academy, white and black boys are segregated, it’s fictional but based on a true story.
Elwood is the main character, a studious teenager with a respect for authority, but who is in the wrong place at the wrong time and finds himself sentenced to The Nickel Academy. He does eventually make friends with one of the other boys, Turner, who is doing his second sentence and has become a bit of a cynic. Turner tries to get Elwood to see that everyone is not good.
It’s a harrowing heartbreaking story, I could see Elwood’s injuries so clearly in my mind after his first brutal lashing. The horrors of sexual abuse, torture, evilness, the total disappearance of several boys and death. , it’s hard to read but a story that will remain with the reader.
What a surprise right at the end, it left me speechless.
This is a very powerful moving read.

Here’s a book I’ve been looking forward to. I highlighted it as one of my must-reads for 2019 in my Looking Back Looking Forward post in January. At that point August seemed a long time away but here it is and I have managed to get my hands on an advance copy.
Last time around Colson Whitehead ended up as #3 in my 2017 Books Of The Year list with the very impressive “The Underground Railroad” which won both a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award in the US and was a big seller over here. I said at the time “it ticks all the boxes for me, an involving entertaining, well-written, imaginative, educational, unpredictable read”. This is why expectations were so high for this.
“The Nickel Boys” focuses on a boys’ reform school, The Nickel Academy, which the author based on the real life Dozier School for Boys in Florida. Main character Elwood Curtis, an intelligent ambitious teen gets caught up in the backlash against the Civil Rights Movement and ends up being sent to the school on ludicrous charges. This school is tough, but particularly on the black inmates, many of whom have found themselves there without just cause. They face segregation, malnutrition, cruelty, indiscriminate beatings and a number disappear without being seen again. Whitehead focuses on the out-of-place Elwood and his more street-savvy friend Turner and their experiences as teens in this hideous place alongside a later narrative of revelations about the place which come to the surface (literally) many years later.
“The Underground Railroad” focused on slavery and veered off in an unpredictable direction which saw it top the Amazon Book charts in its “Metaphysical and Visionary” lists. This book plays things more straightforwardly. In a way, I was pleased by this, because the author has such an important story to tell but also I was a little disappointed that this does not soar in quite the same way as its predecessor with its imaginative elements. As I was reading it, however, I was expecting it to which did affect the way I approached this novel. I was a little wary in case Colson Whitehead took it off into another direction and left me behind.
It is well-written and tales of appalling prejudice still need telling. The ridiculousness of such viewpoints can be seen here in the character of Jaimie, a mixed-race Mexican boy who “ping pongs” between the two sections of the school. As soon as he becomes tanned by working outside in the sun he is sent to the “coloured” half until he is deemed too light-skinned to be there and sent back. Most of the examples of prejudice are, however, far more chilling than this.
In airing these issues from the past to Trump’s America Colson Whitehead has written another book which will enhance his growing reputation as one of the US’s most important novelists.
The Nickel Boys was published on August 1 2019 by Fleet. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

The Nickel Boys is based on a true story and set in 1960s Florida.

Elwood Curtis, is a good boy who is being raised by his strict grandmother. He’s in the wrong place at the wrong time when he’s wrongly convicted of car theft and is sent straight to the Nickel Academy.

Nickel is a brutal place to be and his new friend, streetwise Turner tries to help him settle in. The reform school is run by a sadistic and racist bully called Spencer and all the boys fear being taken to The White House where they are brutally beaten and tortured, some of whom don’t make it out alive and are buried in unmarked graves. Whites and Blacks are segregated, some have committed crimes and some have nowhere else to go.

Elwood takes a stand which nearly costs him his life but Turner is there to try and help him and in doing so their lives become forever woven together. There are chapters ‘after Nickel’ whereby we see ‘Elwood’ having a decent sort of life.

A powerful novel with a twist I didn’t see coming and a story which stayed with me long after I finished reading.

The Nickel Boys is a heartbreaking, fictional tale set in a segregated boys reformatory school in Jim Crow era Florida. We follow Elwood Curtis, a bright, hardworking and conscientious young black boy, who strives to better himself and carve out a decent future. Influenced by the words of the reverend Martin Luther King Jr, he's hopeful and idealistic, even getting himself a place in college, but ultimately finds himself punished for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Had he been white, he'd never have been sent to Nickel but, through no fault of his own, that's where he finds himself.
Once there, Elwood quickly learns of the horrors and abuse in store for boys who don't fall in line at Nickel and plans to behave himself in order to secure an early release. This is easier said than done though, with the black boys being punished more severely than the white boys and for the littlest of things. Elwood builds bonds with some of the other boys on his block, particularly Turner, who is far more jaded and realistic than he, but who respects him nonetheless. Their friendship continues throughout their time at Nickel, their fates intertwined, and together they face whatever comes their way.

Though the story itself is fictional it is based on a real boys reform school and the awful things its inhabitants experienced there. A stark and eye-opening look at Civil Rights era USA, this short but harrowing story will stay with you for days to come. Elwood is such a sweet and likeable character that you almost want to hide as the novel races towards its seemingly inevitable conclusion. The final twist is in equal parts inspired and heart-breaking, and I wasn't expecting it.

This is one of those books that only comes along once in a while, a book that everyone should read and a book that'll change you. As a former History teacher and student who has studied this ugly period in America's History in great depth, I can safely say Colson Whitehead's work needs to be on classroom shelves alongside Harper Lee, it's that good. If you get the chance, pick up a copy of The Nickel Boys and awaken yourself to the institutionalised racism that still permeates modern American society today; it's a story that needs to be heard far and wide.

I don't quite know where to begin with this book. I don't tend to get too hung up on a story, a read a book, I enjoy it (most of the time) and then I put it down and move on, reminiscing occasionally on the story or the theme, but nothing much more. Occasionally a book leaves a lasting impression, whether that's because it was so good, or so bad, whether the subject matter really got to you, or whether it was simply something different to anything you had read before. This book was eye-opening, it was harrowing and heartbreaking, it was eloquent and was simply brilliant.

I had never read anything by Whitehead before, and when I was lucky enough to receive an eARC I was looking forward to the book but unsure of the impact it would have. The first few pages of the book didn't inspire me or capture me, they seemed mundane and dare I say average. Looking back, getting to know this side of Elwood was essential and relevant and the simplicity of this opening was in stark contrast to the horrors that would lie on for him, his family, and the Nickel boys. Once Mr. Hill was introduced and Elwood's life turned upside down at The Nickel Academy I was sucked into a world of institutionalised racism, abuse, and the systemic beating of children in every sense of the word and I couldn't tear myself away.

At points the book was hard and heavy hitting. The author and the narrative voice does not shy away from the content and the horrendous situation these boys find themselves in. The power of the naive voice in comparison to the weary tone that the characters and Elwood has by the end of the novel was a spectacularly simple and effective way of conveying the horrors, the feel, and the battered natures of the children as they changed and were moulded. Whitehead uses simple imagery and manipulation of fear to capture the reader in the same way that the characters are captured in their world, and as much as the content is heavy and hard to read at times, it was impossible not to stick with them and keep reading. 

I don't want to ruin the entire book for you, for there is so much within this book to explore and discover yourself. The ending was the most harrowing and sad kind of predictable. I don't mean this in a disparaging way, and really believe that although it was the ending I was dreading, it was the ending that the book definitely needed. The ending, combined with the most powerful acknowledgements section I think I have ever read, was fitting and in keeping with the message and tone of the book.

The current political and social climate that is felt in the UK and USA is not one that is pleasant or acceptable, and I think this book carries a hard message regarding racism in our society. Although this is a piece of historical fiction, the Nickel Academy is based on the very real and very horrific Florida School for Boys/Dozier Academy and tells the story of the real voices and really souls who suffered such brutality. The book speaks a truth that is felt in every emotion and every word, and is incredibly powerful. Weaving pieces of reality, from the civil rights movement struggles and speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. and the bus boycotts to the school and it's horrendous history, the book almost feels like reading a piece of a diary or documentary that has seamlessly weaved together patches of a life story and a place's history. This mix of fiction and reality drives home and highlights an ugly and all to real message.

I really didn't think that this book would have had such an impact when beginning it, or even while reading it. In a similar way to my favourite book To Kill a Mockingbird, this book has led to a certain amount of introspection and an amount of respect for how some people's have fought and still fight against situations and injustices that I cannot fully comprehend. It makes me realise my privileged position, but it achieves this without a level of judgement, with education and awareness, and sharing a story that has to be shared. This has shot into my top 5 books of all time, without a doubt, and was a truly remarkable and memorable read that the world needed right now.