Reviews tagging Violence

The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead

95 reviews

emisallbooked's review

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Confinement

Minor: Sexual assault

hannahga's review

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? No

4.0

Very powerful book. Started a little bit slow but kept getting better as it went on. The epilogue included something I was not expecting. Really great writing that told the story in a way that was captivating, thought provoking, and genuine. I don't tend to read stories about this time period and I feel like it's an era that is pushed into the past or not spoken/taught about transparently, so it was a great avenue to learn more about the Jim Crow era. Really glad I read (listened to) this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Cursing, and Bullying

ktrotta's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Child abuse, and Confinement

babieyunie's review

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

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

silverrose187's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Injury/injury detail, Rape, and Slavery

notesseton's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

allagainforart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

This book explores the specific cruelties of a boys’ reformatory school (based on a real reformatory school) in the context of the civil rights movement and the systemic oppression of black people in the U.S. It’s informative and sad. I found it difficult  to follow at times with all of the different student and teacher / staff characters. I appreciated the contrast between idealistic and intellectual Elwood and pragmatic Turner, and I wish the book had spent more time with their friendship. 

Spoiler

Favorite parts: The MLK Jr. quotes and the way that Elwood attempts to apply / interpret them, the relationships between Elwood and his grandmother and Elwood and Turner, the way the author includes seemingly “friendly” white people who are anything but that as soon as the boys step out of line (Harper is the one who ultimately shoots Elwood) (obviously didn’t “like” this part but found the “betrayal” to be realistic since Harper was very much part of the status quo of the school)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, Torture, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Death, Child death, Homophobia, Medical content, Outing, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, and Vomit

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-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

4.5

It's so hard to articulate my feelings about a book like this, not just because it's harrowing (and our experiences are so far removed from those in the book), but because it is a story borne out of history and based in truth. That a reform school like Nickel existed, and so many lives were taken in secret, is almost beyond comprehension. But as with so many books of this nature, they're such important stories to keep telling.

The writing is incredible, and seeing how Elwood carries Nickel with him through the rest of his life is beautifully and devastatingly described. What he is able to make of his life always seems to come second to the trauma he suffered so many years before.

This is a brilliant story of survival, friendship and injustice that I couldn't stop reading. It's so powerful and haunting, it'll stay with me for a long time.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Child death, Rape, and Murder

ekmoore11's review against another edition

dark informative sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Torture, Violence, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, and Confinement

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

k04j1's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Child abuse, Abandonment, Violence, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Racism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Mental illness

Minor: Rape and Pedophilia