Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Nickel Boys

I found it difficult to WANT to pick up the book and keep reading, mostly in the first half. After the first half, however, things really begin to spiral, and the initial emotion and love you hold for these characters propels you in a panic to keep reading — the panicked hope that they are okay pushes you forward.

Beautiful, haunting, difficult, wrenching, and extremely powerful. To quote The Washington Post, this book “shreds our easy confidence in the triumph of goodness”. I think everyone needs to read this.

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mle11's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense

5.0

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cattpurrson's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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jayisreading's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

Based on the real story of the Dozier School for Boys in Florida during the Jim Crow era, The Nickel Boys was heartbreaking to read, considering the horrors that Black boys faced. Something I really appreciate about Whitehead’s writings is how he shows the lasting reverberations of anti-Blackness in the United States by focusing closely on a specific aspect of the country’s history. Despite the horrors that exist in these pages (and in United States history), I was surprised by the amount of love and resilience that came through. It really made the ending all the more gut-wrenching, especially as you grow a particular fondness for Elwood.

Not that there’s ever a really good headspace to be in when reading such a devastating novel, but I think I could have appreciated this novel more if I had less on my plate while reading it. I felt that I read this in a rush and didn’t get the chance to fully appreciate Whitehead’s efforts. Considering this, I really would like to revisit this novel when I can really put more care into what’s happening.

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carlycompton22's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Poignant look at the perpetration of racism in America through the lens of a boys reform school in Florida during the Jim Crow era. The striking account of the horrors suffered at the school against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement and precisely placed MLK quotes create a vivid picture of how ideals crash into reality like oil and vinegar. Slightly lower rating because I listened on audiobook and couldn't get used to the narrator's speaking style or keep track of all the characters well so I think I lost some of the impact of the book.

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orizenda's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes

4.0

The ending hit me like a truck. Like even though you’re somewhat expecting it… you’re not expecting that. at least i wasn’t. knowing nothing about the dozier school other than essentially the fictionalized account of it in the reformatory by tananarive due, my heart was breaking reading this and being forced to realize that the fiction may not be that far from the truth these boys had to live. it’s horrific that this is not so far in our history

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