Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

10 reviews

carojust's review against another edition

dark hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

This is difficult story, especially knowing it's based on the real-life Dozier School for Boys and its hidden past. The backdrop is a racist, segregated South, as Black men, women and children endured unjust, fatal circumstances, while the civil rights movement began to find footing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words are weaved throughout this book, as a guiding moral compass for Elwood, the young protagonist, who reminds himself that only love can root out hate.

Colson Whitehead writes beautiful characters, ones that you love and mourn as if you've known them. While their time in an abusive, corrupt, and terrifying reform school is somber reading, Whitehead offers moments of hope through Elwood's friendships, and a peak into his future. There are repetitive themes, but I believe purposefully so, to reiterate the lasting trauma of a "prison within a prison" created by generations of racial violence, discrimination and hatred. Assaults and murders that escape justice for lifetimes. Poignantly, the characters talk about the free world and their world at Nickel, how there was no fence that kept them imprisoned. 

I grew up in Tallahassee, and it was my first time reading a book set in my hometown and the Florida panhandle.

Give this a read if you're interested in Black history, plot twists, and characters you can root for. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

mle11's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Dementia

insomniacsun's review against another edition

dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Questo è uno di quei libri che necessita di essere letto con calma, dando tempo ad ogni frase, ogni parola tempo per essere assimilata a dovere. Una lettura pesante ma necessaria. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Classism

davianareads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

babieyunie's review against another edition

challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

mblanke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Classism

cjc's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

I really enjoy the themes conveyed in The Nickel Boys, but ultimately I believe it fell flat. I consistently was engaged with the characters and their stories; my heart wept at the injustices and smiled at the triumphs. The reoccurring Dr. Martin Luther King speeches were amazing and conveyed a wide breadth of relevant emotion. But I didn’t really enjoy the book holistically. To me, it seemed like a jumble of ideas, concepts, and injustices - all valid, but arranged in such a manner that simply wasn’t poignant. I don’t want to downplay the tragedies faced by boys in similar situations, however long ago, but it remains that this particle novel fell flat. Whitehead had a unique prose that is both descriptive and focused which I enjoyed, but the culmination of the varied ideas didn't amaze me in the end. While the plot did captivate me, I wish I read a different book broaching the same themes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Drug abuse

emakay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Physical abuse, Racism, Torture, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Forced institutionalization

jainnyreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, and Dementia

lake's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, and Medical content