THE NICKEL BOYS

by Colson Whitehead

You don’t need me to tell you that this book is a masterpiece. The Pulitzer Prize committee did that a few weeks ago when they awarded Colson Whitehead his second Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Whitehead’s phenomenal writing style simultaneously draws you into the world of his story, while illuminating difficult truths about his characters and our society.

The Nickel Boys is based on a “school” that actually existed to reform young men as an alternative to sending them to juvenile prison. Set in 1960s Florida, we follow the story of Elwood Curtis who ends up at the Nickel school almost entirely by accident. His lack of criminal background does not help him and he is initiated into the barbarity of the punishment system almost on his first night there.  As he learns more about the school and his fellow inmates, he struggles to maintain his belief that there is justice and truth in the world. 

This book is a quick read, but it is brutal. The violence, systemic racism and overall portrayal of humanity is bleak. However, I can honestly say that I recommend you brace yourself and read it for the window it opens into a scandalous part of American history that even now has not garnered apologies from its perpetrators. (Lily)