The Nickel Boys A Novel

That very very end hits. Structure and narration lost me a bit

How lucky I am to be born into a life that lifts me up, not tears me down. Heartbreaking to know that the book is barely fiction.

I frankly don’t know how to exist anymore after finishing this book.

Damn, that’s heartbreaking.

I will say i’m still leaning i bit more towards 4.5 stars but rounded up instead of down. All I can say is this story will stay with me forever, and i know the characters are fictional but it is known that this novel is loosely based on a true story. To say I am devastated by the ending is an understatement. Whitehead crafted such an intriguing story based on Curtis Elwood, a black boy sentenced to a ‘reform’ school for a crime that he did not even technically commit. This is also a story about family, friendships, innocence and race. I would highly recommend this novel, and I cannot wait to read more from whitehead!

Pithy, with a tight plot and full characters and endless relevance. There's so much to say I can't even say anything.

It's based on a real place and real atrocities. The way the story unfolds though, has a A Separate Peace vibe. http://pussreboots.com/blog/2021/comm...

This book was recommended to me by a good friend. I wasn’t sure what it entailed because I want to be surprised when reading recommendations. It was daunting and at times frustrating to know this happened.

Based on horrific true events, this novel talks about the Nickel Boys, those teens who were sent to reform school in Florida...where mass graves were found too late. Hard to read at times, but riveting as well.

What an amazing riveting book this is. This book has made me want to explore/learn more of Dr. King Jr, and also read more about the Jim Crow segregation laws and other forms of inequality that happened/ currently happening in America. Whitehead has also written beautifully about ones perspective of life (Elwood vs Turner), and about how far idealism can be from reality. An important book at an important time. Spread love. "Love is the only force that can transform an enemy into a friend." Can't wait to read the underground railroad now.

Elwood!!!! Light on plot, heavy on atmosphere Vaguely episodic, in that once you arrive at nickel, time has less meaning there. the boys are no longer moving forward in time, but treading in syrup, trying to keep their heads above erratic waves of awful Ragged & corrupt but never gratuitously depicted. The boys, Elwood and Turner are the heart and the best of us

This book was emotional rollercoaster for me. The characters were well fleshed out, allowing the reader to not only empathize with their experiences, it makes you want to get up and do something. Make A Change! I was able to understand my grandmother's experience at residential schools better. Thank you Colson for making me cry so much but enjoy every page

"Nickel Boys" hit me as predictable and lacked Whitehead's usual spark. It's a solid historical narrative, but I yearned for the audacity that defined his earlier work. While important, it felt subdued, a disappointment from such a gifted author.

Beautifuly written...

So often, black history is erased from the books and forgotten. I never knew about the Florida School for Boys, so Whitehead's novel was eye-opening. To know that this novel was based on fact and not purely fiction irks my nerves and gives me insane goosebumps. Never before have I had such a visceral reaction to a novel. This makes me want to delve into even more historical fiction. Without a doubt, the novel is beautifully written, captivating me to the point that I could not bear to put it down. This book was the first to bring me out of the reading slump I've been in since graduating, and I'm eager to pick up another one of Whitehead's masterpieces. I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

A heartbreaking novel about Elwood Curtis, a boy who “is good as anyone” and smarter than most, but whose lack of guile gets him sent to a boys’ reformatory that routinely abuses its black charges. Based on a real place and several real-life accounts.

This book was inspired by the true story of The Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. When I got to the end, I realized I would have much rather spent my time reading the true accounts of former students rather than this semi-fictional retelling.  Something about this book was disjointed. I thought many of the transitions from past to present were choppy and I was left feeling disoriented. The final twist was definitely a surprise but ultimately, I didn’t find the writing to be unique and was extremely underwhelmed.  This book says a lot of important things about the state of justice in America. However, I think one could come away with the same conclusions if they read the first hand accounts of students who survived not just the Dozier School, but juvenile detention centers across the nation. Two stars feels very low but if I'm being very honest, I really didn't enjoy the writing. I'm glad that this book introduced me to the story of the Dozier School so I can further read about the experiences of the students.

I couldn't help but compare this book with Alex Haley's Roots. Both books deal with similar themes albeit in completely different timelines. Where Roots took on the extreme cruelty of Slavery and traced its subsequent dissolution through generations of a family, Nickel Boys constrains itself to the events that transpired within the walls of a correctional facility for juveniles in a milieu when equal rights for Black people was still a dream. Where Roots was brutal and unfettered in it's description of the brutality of the time, Nickel Boys often seems to bring the reader to the brink of horror and then let's you fill in the details. In doing so it forces the reader to look in with a lens of tragedy and sadness rather than naked rage mirroring the teachings of Martin Luther King that the book so often quotes.

This is a hard book to rate or talk about. I will say Colson Whitehead is a poet who breaks my heart with his stories. This story asks this question: Do you act out of agape love, even when it costs us? When treated in the worst ways imaginable? Elwood’s choice will haunt me, as it did Turner. Highly recommended.

Theme/Plot: It took me a really long time to finish this book. Granted, it was in part due to the fact that I was reading it during a busy time in my semester, but I also think the book was slower in some parts. This is not necessarily a criticism, just more of an observation. However, there definitely was a clear storyline and there were definitely parts that got my heart racing. Some notable sections for me were the boxing match and Elwood’s introduction. Characters: The characters were definitely the highlight of the book. Elwood’s undying hope and reference to MLK were vital to the message of the story, and Elwood just in general goes through the most notable changes as our narrator. My favorite character, however, is Turner. Turner is so layered and really brings out the underlying disappointment this time had to endure. He is so well crafted, being a mentor for Elwood while in Nickel, but also serving as a symbol of contrast to the movement of the time. Turner does not believe in holding onto hope after going through Nickel, and in the segregated and racist world in general. He forces Elwood to question and justify his hope and perseverance. Both boys learn endless lessons from each other. Writing: Whitehead is a particularly talented individual. He baffled me with his elegant way of attacking brutal ideas and actions. He seamlessly weaves together the storylines of the characters, allowing you to learn about more than just Elwood. Also, the most intense aspect was the chronology. Due to the intro being written in the earlier pages, it always you to feel secure in that you know characters make it. This tricked me into letting my guard down and I was NOT prepared for the heartbreak of the ending, particularly the epilogue.

Yəqin ki, son illərin ən yaxşı romanını oxudum deyə bilərəm. Müəllif onsuzda güclü olan hekayəni kiçik bir fəndlə mükəmməlləşdirib. Nickel uşaq həbsxanasında - Azərbaycanda bu tip yerlərə səhv etmirəmsə, uşaq tərbiyə mərkəzi deyirlər - baş verənləri bir uşaq qəhrəmanın gözündən danışan kitab Amerikanın qaranlıq tərəflərini və cəmiyyətin nələrdən keçdiyini göstərir. Təbii ki, bütün bu dəyişimi bir uşağın taleyi üzərindən göstərmək də əsəri daha güclü edir. Amerikada hal-hazırda baş verən irqçilik məsələlərinin fonunda kitab daha da dəyər qazanır. Kitabda bəhs edilən məkan və uşaqlar uydurma olsa da, sonda müəllif əslində hansı hadisələrdən bu hekayəni yaratdığını göstərir. Colson Whitehead son illərin ən yaxşı romançılarından hesab olunur, mütləq bir neçə əsərini daha oxuyacam.

The Nickel Boys is a brilliant, infuriating look into a fictional reform school inspired by a very real one. The fact that such horror took place in reality is deeply disturbing but, when held against the more well-known dark parts of our nation’s history, is sadly in no way surprising. The inherent racism in such places, especially in the South and especially when given such loose supervision, isn’t something those involved have even tried very hard to hide until the past few decades. Poor Elwood is just about the unluckiest boy ever. There’s little that’s less fair than someone who does everything right still finding themselves footing the blame for someone else’s crimes. I cared more about Elwood than I did the protagonists of The Underground Railroad, because he was actually given enough time to develop as a character before the central theme of the novel came into play. He was a unique, interesting, driven, morally upright young man who won me over immediately. However, in similar fashion to my experience with The Underground Railroad, I went from caring about the protagonist as an individual to seeing them as little more than a conduit for the story. I think this is just the way in which Whitehead tells his stories. His writing is impeccable, but something about this shift in tone puts me into a more academic mindset in a setting where I feel almost guilty for not experiencing more emotional resonance. Which means that this rating is entirely subjective. I completely understand why The Nickel Boys won the Pulitzer in 2020. It’s timely and powerful and serves as a call to arms in reforming such institutions and bringing into the light the darkness of their pasts. I simply found the (again, very subjective) emotional disconnect jarring.

whitehead’s writing is truly amazing, the story was so eye opening and just a teaspoon of what black people had to go through. the plot twist at the end made a lump in my throat

This was so tough to read, and I think everyone should. Beautifully written, heartbreaking and honest, this story needs to be told and heard. Until we actually force change, these are the voices that need to be heard the loudest (and even then.)