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karyzi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
Moderate: Pedophilia
Minor: Vomit
bseigel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
seasonedreadings's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Rape, Slavery, and Torture
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
jessicasonley's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Forced institutionalization, and Murder
leahegood's review against another edition
- 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
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.
Graphic: Bullying, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
marisample's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Classism
lottpoet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Moderate: Physical abuse and Racism
Minor: Pedophilia
mle11's review against another edition
5.0
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