Reviews tagging 'Racism'

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

286 reviews

bseigel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

cbbenton's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, and Torture

hayleyvem's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

seasonedreadings's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse and Physical abuse

Minor: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

ashsparrow's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, and Alcohol

drymice's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Rape, Slavery, and Torture

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

ogollovesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Racism

Moderate: Child death, Death, and Police brutality

jessicasonley's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Murder

franklinroberts12's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Racism

leahegood's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

Summary
Elwood is a thoughtful, bookish boy growing up in the years following WWII. He was meant to go to college, until a cruel stroke of bad luck lands him in Nickel ... a place that threatens to strip him of every bit of stubborn idealism.

My Thoughts
Before reading this book, I'd read articles about the real-life reform "school" Nickel is based on. From those articles, I was braced for this to be a gruesome story that I was prepared to stop reading if it got to be too much. Instead, Whitehead weaves a story that mimics the tone of its main character. Atrocities are not glossed over, but neither are the terrible details dwelt on. Instead, injustice is highlighted in the quiet endurance of one young man. Whitehead paints a story in which his character presses forward in humble dignity and a sense of integrity that refuses to bend any further than survival demands.

Content
Sexual Content: R*pe and SA is implied throughout, a character considers fighting back if someone touches him inappropriately again, and r*pe is mentioned outright once.

Language: Words like sh*t, d*mn, and f*ck throughout.

Violence: The violence in this book is underscores, imo, by how quietly it is presented. Main and minor characters experience brutal beatings, sometimes resulting in death, but these incidents are never described in detail or presented gratuitously.

Religion: Elwood mentions attending church with his grandmother at the beginning of the book. MKL is quoted repeatedly.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault