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A review by alisarae
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
This was a good book. All the characters are fictional but the story is based on true practices at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida. This reform school was closed in 2011 after decades of allegations of abuse. It is estimated that over 100 boys were killed on its grounds.
The book itself has an interesting story with a couple plot twists I didn’t expect. I was kind of dreading reading it because of the heavy subject matter, but it isn’t torture porn. Colson Whitehead is not a sadist, and I’m sure he was concerned about telling the truth of what happened without it becoming a glory guide for the Klan.
The story touches broader themes that are also interesting—the school-prison pipeline, most obviously. But also how Jim Crow is still present in our lives. How structural racism benefits corporations and other powerholders.
The book itself has an interesting story with a couple plot twists I didn’t expect. I was kind of dreading reading it because of the heavy subject matter, but it isn’t torture porn. Colson Whitehead is not a sadist, and I’m sure he was concerned about telling the truth of what happened without it becoming a glory guide for the Klan.
The story touches broader themes that are also interesting—the school-prison pipeline, most obviously. But also how Jim Crow is still present in our lives. How structural racism benefits corporations and other powerholders.