The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
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Web ID: 10918453Interesting
I understand that this is an important story to get out and it’s horrendous what they went through but the manner the story is told is so disjointed and dry that I could not get invested in it. It jumps around between time periods and characters and I had a difficult time following it at times. It just wasn’t for me.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A proven great writer with a compelling story
It’s difficult to believe that the conditions described in this “reform school” existed in the 60’s , but obviously they did. In a way it’s a horror story with an intriguing ending that I won’t give away. Believe me, no matter what your background or upbringing, you’ll be affected by this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
true to form
Its sad to know that places like this exist. This is the first time i have read any of Colson's books and i must say this book is worth the read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Haunting and emotional
Based on the real story of a reform school that operated for over 100 years and wrecked thousands of children, The Nickel Boys follows Elwood Curtis in the 1960s when he is young and unjustly sentenced to a juvenile center called the Nickel Academy, where adults subject children to ironboxes, lashings, and every cruel thought. Elwood believes fiercely in Martin Luther King Jr.’s words—that he is worthy and, surely, he is somebody—and his viewpoint is battered not only by plot twists but also by his cynical friend Turner. People think of “inmates” and “delinquents” as rightfully suffering en masse in society’s background, but Whitehead brings us close to Elwood and forces us to see him for what he really is: A hopeful, innocent, and vulnerable child who is every bit as deserving of love as the rest of us. Whitehead’s tight, restrained prose inversely conveys an abundance of emotion in a book that is part thriller, part remembrance, and part homage to all of America’s children who are like sweet Elwood.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com